A Lesson in Love
by Lillie Cullen
Summary: Final installment in Lessons Trilogy. The vampires are at war, and Bella is forced to use her powers in a way she never imagined. When things take a turn for the worse, can Edward and Jasper save her from the evil ones who have fallen under her spell?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I do, however, own the Lessons trilogy (YAY!) storyline and all original characters. Please do not copy or reproduce my work without written permission.**

_Welcome to the final installment in the Lessons trilogy! The story picks up 20 years after A Lesson in Fate. The vampires are at war, and Bella is forced to use her powers in a way she never imagined. When things take a turn for the worse, can Edward and Jasper save her from the evil ones who have fallen under her spell?_

_Let me tell you up front. This is not a love triangle. Bella will not be getting back together with Jasper. As with A Lesson in Fate, this story will be told from the guys' POVs, including the bad guys. :) _

* * *

**Prologue - Edward's POV**

"So, Mrs. Cullen, where to next?" I sat down in the sand and pulled her on my lap as we watched the sunset. We had spent the last couple of months in Spain on our second honeymoon. We had only planned to spend a couple weeks, but Bella was so entranced with the culture of the region that we decided to stay a while longer. Bella loved the music so much, she had even taken to dancing.

"It's your turn to pick," she said, giving me a sweet kiss on the cheek before leaning her head against mine, sighing contentedly as the last bits of red turned dark wine when the sun dipped below the horizon.

"Hmmm…how about Australia? We haven't been there yet."

"That sounds great!"

"Do you think I might be able to convince you to attend the opera house while we're there?" It had been twenty years, but we were still no closer to understanding Bella's power than we were when she was first changed. Bella had insisted on isolating herself for most of that time, content to be with me and my family at our Scotland estate, but had finally gotten cabin fever, or 'castle fever' as Adrian called it. Thus our second honeymoon. We decided to take a trip around the world, something neither of us had ever done. We were so excited to explore together. Still, Bella felt uncomfortable going to places that were too crowded, figuring it increased her chances of accidentally bewitching some poor stranger. Adrian was actually the one to convince her. I couldn't help but chuckle recalling his little speech.

"Get the hell out of here, Tinker Bells! So what if you accidentally turn the magic on a few poor guys. You'll never see them again anyway. You'll just be some story they'll tell their grandsons about the one that got away. You've been holed up here for two decades now, and I haven't felt an overwhelming need to jump your bones. You'll be fine. You need to get out from inside these walls. There's more to life – this is no way to spend eternity!"

It was actually amusing to watch her face scrunch up whenever some man walked too close to her. I could just tell she was trying to avoid making eye contact and focus on thinking things like 'Don't like me' over and over again. I didn't think it made a difference, but it made her feel better, so I didn't argue with her about it.

Bella began squirming on my lap, intentionally grinding against me. Strumpet. I flipped her onto her back and was hovering above her in one swift move. I immediately started rubbing her sex through the gauzy material of her wrap-around.

"Edward, don't tease…" she begged. I started gathering handfuls of the material in my hands, slowly sliding the hem closer and closer to her hip. I was just about there, my fingertips caressing her thigh…when the phone rang. Alice's ringtone. Damn, that pixie has bad timing.

I hesitated, and Bella knew I was considering ignoring it, so she pushed against my chest to get me off her and grabbed the phone out of her bag.

"Bella, Marcus just called here looking for you. They need help. It's urgent. You've got to go to Volterra. Now. We'll all meet you there."

"All?"

"Yes, all of us. I already called Carlisle and Jasper, they're on their way, and Adrian and I will be too in a few minutes."

Bella looked at me, slightly panicked. I jerked my chin toward the phone. I didn't have the answers, Alice did.

"Alice, what could be so urgent that it requires all of us to go to Volterra?"

"War."

* * *

_**Manhunt - An Original Romantic Suspense Novel by Lillie Cullen  
http:// www . textnovel . com / stories_list_detail . php?story_id=1521  
Take out the spaces or click link on my profile  
**_

Michael Brennan and Nikki Wright shared a bond created by love, loss, and hardship. Michael's life was finally taking a turn for the better while Nikki's was descending into darkness, until one fateful night changed everything. Just how much is Michael willing to give up for love? How far is he willing to run?

_"Have you seen this man? His name is Michael Brennan and he has been identified by Federal authorities as a person of interest in the shooting death of Sebastian Cross and the disappearance of Nicole Wright. Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Michael Brennan should call the Federal Crimestoppers Alert line at 888-555-1234. Coming up next on News at 11..."_

This story has been on my mind for a long time. I even considered altering it and making it a Darkward fanfiction story at one point, but ultimately realized that it would be like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. These characters needed to stand on their own two feet. Eight chapters have been posted so far, and if I may be so humble, I believe it is my best work to date.

You need to create a login at textnovel to read it, it will lead you to where you need to go. The story's rating is determined by the number of votes (thumbs up button) and story alerts (cell phone button) the story receives, which means each reader can add two points to my rating! Going to my profile and clicking "Follow" will put me on author alert. The only downside to this site is the fact that it limits each chapter posting to 500 words, which means you'll be clicking the 'next' button - a lot. But from what I've been told...it's more than worth it. :) Can't wait to hear what you think of it!

Please help me get the word out about Manhunt. Tell your friends, put it on your blog and in your author's notes, Twitter it...you get the idea! Thank you so much for your support - I love you all!


	2. The Mission

_**Consider this my standard 'I don't owe Stephenie money and please don't steal my shit' disclaimer. ;) **_

**_A/N: _**Just to reiterate, this is not going to be a love triangle. They are, however, becoming more comfortable and relaxed about their unique situation and will continue to become more so as the story progresses.

* * *

_**Jasper's POV**_

I was already in Italy visiting Felix and Kelly when I got the call from Alice. It was always nice seeing my niece and her doting, dirty-old-man of a husband. If I couldn't sense their emotions, I swear it would be impossible to tell whether they loved each other or were secretly investing in blow torches to off the other one. Their banter was truly a sight to behold.

It was good to see Heidi again, too. She and I have been lovers on and off throughout the past two decades. I care for her deeply, and I know she feels the same, but she is unable or unwilling to commit to me. As much as it saddens me, because I truly feel we make each other happier, I can't fault her for it. She knows that no matter how much I love her, I will always love Bella just as much, if not more. So we find ourselves drifting together for short, wonderful periods of time, then drifting apart again.

Kelly has had to come to terms with Felix's affections for Bella as well, although on a much smaller scale than mine. With his wandering eye, there really isn't much difference between Bella and any other beautiful woman that crosses Felix's path, with the exception that Bella's influence on him has placed her on a short list of people Felix would lay his life down for, and truth be told she probably would have been on that list regardless. Outside of that, his life has continued on as it should. Lucky bastard.

Bella. Just her name still makes my heart ache. We've seen each other a few times over the years, for special occasions and family events, mostly. We still keep in touch almost daily though. Usually by email or text message. She worries about me if she hasn't at least gotten a quick note to say I'm okay, and I feel the irresistible need to at least let her know that I'm thinking about her. I can't say it doesn't bother Edward, but he has learned to adjust to the situation. I was happy to hear that Bella had agreed to his vacation idea. She had suffered through self-imposed isolation long enough and she sounded like she was falling in love with Spain.

Unfortunately, Alice's phone call put an abrupt end to that. She wouldn't tell me anything other than she was gathering the family, and everyone was to meet in Volterra as soon as possible. She volunteered me to pick Edward and Bella up at the airport, for what purpose only she knows. They were more than capable of renting a car. Still, my guilty heart rejoiced at the possibility of seeing Bella again before all hell inevitably broke loose. Both of them, really. But especially Bella.

I smiled widely when I saw them disembark. Edward had his hand on the small of her back, and was leaning in to whisper in her ear to try and calm down and not worry so much. I could feel Bella's nervousness rolling off of her in waves and could see her consciously avoiding eye contact with everyone, choosing instead to stare at her feet as they walked. I sent her a little calm and she visibly relaxed, looking up and seeking me out. When she saw me, she smiled, glanced at Edward, who nodded at her before she took off running into my open arms. As soon as she slammed into me, I wrapped my arms around her and breathed her in. She still smelled like home. I smiled into her hair and hummed contentedly.

"I missed you, too, darlin'." Bella released me, but not before giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. Edward joined us then, hugging me as well.

"How are you, Jazz?" he asked amiably.

"Doin' alright. Can't complain. Anxious to find out what this is all about." Edward and Bella nodded in agreement. "Do you guys have any luggage to claim?"

"No," Bella laughed. "We figured Alice would just throw it out and buy us new stuff, anyway, so why bother?"

"Good point. Let's get going, then. The skies are supposed to clear up later this afternoon," I said with false casualness. The three of us headed for the exit. I could still feel Bella's nervousness. I whispered, "Don't worry, Bella. I'll let you know if any poor unsuspecting guy is falling under your spell, okay?" Bella bit her lip and nodded gratefully. I decided to tease her a bit, try and get her to relax that way. "It is only guys you have this effect on, right? Because if it's girls, too, that could be hot."

Bella rolled her eyes and pushed me a step or two away from her. "Okay, Emmett. That's enough of that," she laughed. Mission accomplished.

When we got to Volterra, we were immediately brought to the Throne Room. Aro and Marcus were already there, as were their guards. Kelly, Heidi, Felix and Demetri were off to one side, chatting amongst themselves about nothing of great importance. I felt a shot of guilt from Bella as she looked from me, to Heidi, and back again. I just shook my head at her. It wasn't her fault. At all.

"Bella!" Marcus called, waving her over as soon as he saw her. She walked up and greeted him with a warm hug, then turned to do the same with Aro. It still struck me as odd. I had spent my entire vampire life, not quite in fear of the Volturi, but certainly regarded them with respect. The majority of the vampire world did their best to avoid having to be in this room for any reason, and yet because of Bella, they now regarded us as family, as we did them. With the elimination of Caius, an era of a kinder, gentler Volturi had begun. They were still the unquestionable enforcers of our world, but they did so in a more fair and compassionate manner. Caius's throne still stood empty, but on the rare occasion that a tie-breaking voice was needed, Carlisle was usually the one called upon, and he was more than happy to help resolve any conflict. Truth be told, he was thrilled with the alliance. He had always been considered a member of the Volturi family, but it was a family where he was unfortunately the black sheep. He loved them, but could not agree with their choices all of the time. Now, the two halves of his life have been joined and he couldn't be more pleased.

As if on cue, the door opened and in walked Carlisle, along with the rest of the Cullen clan. Warm hugs and greetings were to be had all around. It was such a nice reunion, I almost forgot we were here under a matter of some urgency.

"Come, my friends, now that we are all here, let us adjourn to the main hall where we can sit and discuss matters comfortably," Aro announced. He took Bella's hand and placed it in the crook of his elbow, patting it in a grandfatherly way as he led us to an adjoining room with a long antique table made to seat twenty or more.

Aro sat at one head of the table, with Bella on his right. Edward sat next to her, followed by Alice and Adrian, then Emmett and Rosalie. I sat across from Bella, with Heidi next to me, who kissed me on the cheek in greeting, then Felix and Kelly, and Carlisle and Esme. Demetri and the rest of the guard sat at the other end of the table, with Marcus at the end.

Marcus was the one who began. "Let me give you the gist of what is happening, then Alice will fill us in on any visions she has had that may be of use. My hope is that we can, together, form a solution to bring this situation to a peaceful end.

As some of you may know, the Romanians have never been happy with us in power. They believe we mutinied against them, which was not the case. They ruled over a small corner of the globe, and they ruled in tyranny. The Volturi monarchy, for lack of a better word, was created to provide worldwide protection for our kind. We do not do what we do for personal gain or power.

It has come to our attention that they have been assembling an army and are planning a full out war with us and anyone who stands with us. They are gathering malcontents and power-mongers from all over the globe, promising anything from lordships to money, anything to get the underbelly of the vampire world on their side. Their belief is that recent changes, not so much in policy, but in the execution of our policies since the death of Caius, is a sign of weakness. They believe they have found the kink in our armor and are prepared to use it to their full advantage.

If they were to come into power and destroy the Volturi, all would be lost. Not only for our kind, but for the humans as well. It is their wish to bring us out of the shadows and into the headlines. They want to farm the humans, much the same way humans farm livestock, for labor and food. And, in the same manner that humans have been researching ways to use genetic engineering to produce the most tender cut of pork or the most milk from a cow, the Romanians have been researching how to breed and alter humans to produce what they consider to be a higher quantity as well as quality of blood. It is quite barbaric. They must be stopped at any cost."

Everyone sat around, stunned at the shocking revelations. Alice spoke next. "I have been searching for a way for us to put an end to this without exposing us to the humans." Edward immediately started growling, fury building inside him. Alice swallowed thickly, but continued, turning to Bella. "Bella, they don't know anything about you, or your ability. Yet. It's the only advantage we have. We need you to go to the lion's den, so to speak. Infiltrate their organization, get to the Romanians and their supporters, then...then use your powers to make them love you. If they fall in love with you and you ask them to back down, they may listen to you."

"Absolutely not!" Edward, Adrian and I shouted in unison. Edward pounded his fist on the edge of the table. If it were of modern construction, it would have crumbled.

Carlisle was looking and feeling very contemplative. Emmett, not surprisingly, seemed to be itching for a fight, but was very torn about the idea of sending Bella into the thick of it. The rest of the emotions were swirling too fast and furious for me to assign a name or face to.

"Everyone, please... Bella, my dearest, you must know that we would never ask this of you if there were any other way. You are our only hope. It is time for you to take your rightful place, fill the empty throne that has been awaiting you for twenty years. Save our race, Isabella. You're the only one who can."

I felt Bella's determination rising and it scared me. Edward looked at me, reading my thoughts, and panicked, turning back to Bella. "Surely you're not considering this?"

"How could I not?" Bella looked around the room before focusing in on Aro. "You seem to be failing to consider a key point. I do not know the source of my ability. I have no idea how it works or how to control it."

"Bella, as with all abilities both human and vampire, practice makes perfect. You haven't learned how to control your power, quite simply because you haven't tried."

"The only possible way to test that theory was to use the ones you feed on as guinea pigs, which was simply immoral and abhorrent," Bella replied.

"Would it be less immoral to allow the Romanians to dominate the human race? I believe you would have to agree that they would suffer far less at our hands then at theirs," Marcus countered gently. "You need to learn to harness your power if it is to be a reliable weapon to you on the inside."

"He's right," Carlisle said, and Alice nodded her head fervently. I could feel a shot of terror, and had little doubt she had seen a vision that didn't end well for Bella, or for us. "The only other way would be to test it on the guards here, but I'm not entirely certain that having hundreds of vampires enamored with you is in your best interests, or the interests of our kind. Jealousy has often been more than enough reason to start a war. Besides, we suspect from our interactions with James that not everyone you influence will have a, shall we say, healthy reaction to his affection for you."

"That brings up a very good question, Dad," Adrian interjected. Carlisle always felt pride in the fact that Adrian has always called him 'Dad.' It's understandable; Carlisle has always been a much better father to him than his real father ever was. "How do we know that these guys won't go off the deep end in the wrong direction once Bells works her magic on them?" Adrian turned to Alice. "Ally, can you see how they're going to react?"

Alice shook her head woefully. "No. I won't know their reaction until they make a decision."

"Then she can't go in there alone," I said.

"I quite agree," Aro replied. "As queen of our people, Bella is entitled to a personal guard. I would like to appoint both Edward and you to that post. You would be charged with protecting Isabella at all costs. You would accompany her on her mission. Edward's mind reading and your ability to sense and manipulate emotions will be infinitely valuable accompaniments to her power. A suitable cover story will need to be created, of course..."

"It'll work! It's clearer now. I can see her in front of them, see her power starting to work on them. She will be safe up until that point, at least." Alice was filled with hope.

"I'll do it." Bella's tone suggested that it was not up for negotiation. "Just promise me that the...subjects...we test my power on will die a painless death."

"Of course, my dear. We are not barbarians. I think you will see that your influence over the royal court has made it a much more civilized arena, even in your absence. Edward, Jasper, I assume you have no objections to joining our Bella on her quest?"

"You couldn't keep me away from joining her if you tried," Edward replied flatly, wrapping his arm around her protectively.

"Ditto," I replied, and Edward and Bella both smiled at me gratefully.

It was time to strategize. If Bella could harness her power, she would truly become a force to be reckoned with. Aro and Marcus were quite correct in that mine and Edward's abilities both complemented hers well. The three of us would make a very powerful team. I only hope it's enough to save the world.

* * *

**_A/N:_** Let's see...in honor of the holiday season, I thought we'd bring back the Naked Cullen Boy Buffet... How about Jasper, wearing nothing but an apron, covered in powdered sugar and holding a spoonful of cookie dough just waiting to be licked. That ought to be worth a review, right?


	3. Trevor

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, but I do own this story. Please don't steal it. _**

**_A/N:_** Someone asked me if Esme or Rosalie will play a part in this story. I never write a character in unless they serve a useful purpose. I am a bit of a minimalist as a writer. I won't add filler just to show that all the Cullens are there. Charlie wasn't in ALIR at all, but when he showed up in ALIF, there was a _reason, s_o unless you see them taking in active role, assume they're just floating around in the background somewhere. :) Someone else asked if this story was going to be a polyamory story, and the answer is no, most definitely not, although the lines may seem blurred at times. ;)

Many people have asked about _Manhunt, _which thrills me to no end! It came in first place in the voting round of the contest and is the highest rated story ever on textnovel, _**thanks to you**_! I am slowly taking it down from textnovel for a number of reasons. One, the contest is over and I am prepping it for submittal and the publishers frown on publishing a story that is widely available online for free. Two, I have had some recent issues with plagarism, and while stealing a fanfiction story hurts my feelings, stealing _Manhunt_ could hurt my wallet. If you are a fan of _Manhunt_, please let me know! I have created a restricted blog where I will post the remaining chapters for readers' critique. The site is restricted, which means there is a maximum of 100 authorized readers. I will send out those invites on a first come, first serve basis so if you're interested, don't hesitate to let me know via PM or in your review for this chapter. I will keep you posted on _Manhunt_'s publication status on my blog; lillie-cullen-blogspot . com and via Twitter where my user name is Miss_Lillie.

* * *

_**Chapter 2 - Jasper's POV**_

The first couple of attempts were rather non-eventful. Bella would take her seat on the throne, with Edward and me standing on either side and slightly behind her. I could tell just the act of sitting there made her uncomfortable. One by one, Gianna would bring men in as part of a 'behind the scenes tour' of the castle. Bella would do what she could to focus on them, making eye contact, concentrating very hard on whatever she was trying to project towards them. For Edward's sake, I was thankful he couldn't hear her thoughts. After Gianna had walked them around the room, pointing out various artwork and artifacts that had been staged throughout the room to give Bella more time in her attempt without it becoming awkward, she would lead them to the marble platform and introduce them to the 'historical society benefactors.' Bella would shake their hand, initiate conversation with them. While most had some sort of positive thoughts and feelings from their interaction with her, and many were downright lustful of her, Marcus had yet to see one with whom her powers had created an irreversible bond.

Then, it happened. An unassuming young man named Trevor followed Gianna into the throne room, took one look at Bella, and fell in love. I could feel it immediately, Edward's face was pained from the thoughts running through the boy's mind, and most importantly, Marcus could see the bond. He would later describe it as stronger than Felix and Demetri's bonds in intensity, but not as strong as anyone else's.

Unfortunately, Bella had no idea how it had happened. She had barely had a chance to even make eye contact with the boy, let alone put conscious thought into it. It had happened that fast. He ignored Gianna and headed straight for Bella, intent on making his introductions while he strategized a way to ask her to accompany him to a nearby cafe for coffee. Aro gave Gianna the signal, and she took him by the elbow to lead him away. Gianna had been put in charge of personally "disposing" of the men such as Trevor, on the hopes that her beauty would be enough to distract even the most ardently enamored enough to make their last moments pleasant. They had asked Heidi first, but she respectfully declined, not wanting to go back to feeding from humans after a two decade abstinence. Everyone had confidence that Gianna would give Trevor a pain-free death.

In the days that followed, the Main Hall was transformed into a war room, complete with a detailed hierarchy Carlisle and Marcus created of the strength of the bond each man had with Bella and bullet points that explained the nature of the relationship and any potential contributing factors, with spaces anywhere Marcus felt there was a drop in the intensity of their bond when compared to the person above them. It was quite bizarre.

**BELLA'S BONDS**

1. Edward  
a. Spouse  
b. Singer  
c. Nature of Bond: Romantic, Protective, Lustful, Possessive  
i. strongest bond known to date  
d. Possibly influenced while B. was human  
e. Bond felt immediately upon meeting B.  
i. cannot neglect to consider singer influence; romantic/protective instincts were not immediate and once felt, were at odds with bloodlust  
ii. Feelings grew quickly over time (may have occurred naturally)  
f. Felt strong increase upon first seeing B. after change.

2. Jasper  
a. Former lover, current bond considered that of brother-in-law/very close friend  
b. Nature of Bond: Romantic, Protective, Lustful, Possessive  
i. Second only slightly to Edward in strength of bond  
c. Possibly influenced while B. was human  
d. Bond felt after first significant time spent 'alone'  
e. Feelings grew quickly over time (may have occurred naturally)  
f. Felt strong increase in bond upon first seeing her after change

.

.

.

.

.

.

3. Adrian  
a. Best friend, brother-in-law  
b. Nature of Bond: Completely platonic, Familial, Extremely protective  
c. Possibly influenced while B. was human  
d. Recalls strong protective feelings for B. upon first meeting  
e. Felt no significant increase to bond upon first seeing B. after change

4. Emmett  
a. Brother-in-law  
b. Nature of Bond: Mostly familial, Protective  
c. Possibly influenced while B. was human  
d. Recalls protective feelings for her upon first true meeting, although spent time at school with B. prior to that meeting with no known effect. Feelings grew quickly over time (may have occurred naturally).  
e. Felt significant increase to bond upon first seeing B. after change

.

.

.

5. Carlisle  
a. Current relationship - father figure  
b. Nature of bond: Paternal, Protective  
c. Felt brief lustful feelings, but not permanent, upon first seeing B. after change. Has felt strong increase in bond since change

.

.

.

.

6. Marcus  
a. Current relationship - father figure  
b. Nature of Bond: Paternal, Protective  
c. Felt affectionate upon meeting B., but not strong bond  
d. Felt significant increase to bond upon first seeing B. after change

7. Aro  
a. Current relationship - father figure  
b. Nature of Bond: Paternal, Protective  
c. Felt affectionate upon meeting B., but not strong bond  
d. Felt significant increase to bond upon first seeing B. after change

.

.

.

8. Trevor  
a. Relationship: none  
b. Nature of Bond: Romantic, Lustful  
i. Not enough time spent with subject to determine Protective/Possessive/Obsessive possibilities  
c. Felt immediately upon seeing B.

.

.

9. Felix  
a. Relationship: Friend  
b. Nature of Bond: Protective, Lustful  
c. Affected when B. was human  
d. Felt increase to bond upon seeing B. after change

10. Demetri  
a. Relationship: acquaintance  
b. Nature of Bond: Romantic, Lustful, Protective  
c. Affected when B. was human  
d. Did not feel increase to bond upon seeing B. after change

Off to the side were scribbled notes about James, Michael Newton, Tyler Crowley, and Jacob Black. Carlisle could not add them to the main graph since Marcus had not seen them interact with Bella to understand the strength of their devotion.

After Trevor, there was another draught where no one else brought before her was affected. We convened in the War Room to discuss the latest news on the Romanian front. It was not good. It only served to frazzle poor Bella's nerves even more. Edward caressed her knee with his thumb and tried to soothe her. It calmed her a little, but not much.

"Bella, let me help you, please? This is too much for one person to handle," I pleaded. Bella nodded and I sat down on her other side, taking her free hand in mine so I could relieve as much of the stress as possible. Bella's facial features softened as she let me ease her, and Edward smiled at me in gratitude.

"Perhaps Bella just needs to be more of a seductress, play the part of the vixen," Carlisle hypothesized.

"You've got to be kidding," Edward replied tiredly. He was receiving the residual effects of my relaxation of Bella. Otherwise I was certain Carlisle would have gotten an earful.

"I wasn't acting like a whore when they," she waved her hand blindly in the general direction of the board, "were affected, and I'm not about to start now."

"No, no, that's not what I mean. What I mean is that, with a few exceptions, your interactions with those you affected were pleasant to you in some way. You were enjoying their presence. That's not the case with these strangers we're parading in front of you."

"I see what you mean, Carlisle," I replied. "It's hard to feel a connection to the livestock at the county fair, knowing that they're headed for the slaughter." Carlisle nodded in agreement with my analogy. "But there are some very definite holes to your theory. With James or even with Aro and Marcus, Bella's first interactions with them were far from pleasant for her." I looked to Aro and Marcus briefly. "No offense. Even the rest of the Forks teenage boys -- they met her on her first day at a new school, where I can assure you she was stressed and overwhelmed and most definitely not enjoying the attention. Trying to get her dolled up and acting like a fisher is not going to make her get more enjoyment from this."

The door opened and Heidi walked in just in time to hear the last part of my speech. "Not even a fisher likes acting like a fisher," Heidi said in support before looking at me. Her eyes flickered down to mine and Bella's hands entwined, my thumb rubbing soothing circles on her skin. She looked back up to me, then to Edward, I'm assuming to gauge his knowledge or reaction to the situation. Edward met her eyes and smiled sadly at whatever thought crossed her mind.

"It is what it is," he stated softly. She shrugged her shoulders and plopped in a chair further to the front of the room, facing away from us. "Bella, it's not a foolproof theory, but it is one worth exploring. What can we do to make this more comfortable for you?"

"I don't know, not kill them after, maybe?" she replied a little snarkily and Carlisle tried to hide his laughter with a cough. Brilliant plan, except vampires don't cough.

"Allriiight..." Edward continued, a small touch of amusement dancing around him for the first time since we'd left the airport. "What if we took a chance in an open setting?"

"What if it works? I'll ruin their lives with one look!"

"No, you can't think of it that way. Remember that guy when we were walking around Ohio Stadium? He fell victim, I mean, under your spell. While I have no doubt that if you ran into him at 85, he'd still profess his love for you, you have no reason to believe that, while he may be carrying a torch for the beautiful stranger he passed on the street one night, he hasn't gone on to resume his happy life without you."

"And even if his life sucks now, you'll probably never see him again to know the difference," Demetri chuckled.

"Not. Helping," Bella groaned at him.

"I've got a thought. I can't imagine it's fun for you to try and make some stranger fall in love with you while flanked by your husband and former lover," Felix said. "Maybe if you went out for a night with the girls, go to the clubs or something. You say you don't dance, but we all know better. It might do you good, even if no poor schlep ends up with Cupid's arrow in his ass."

"One of _many_ problems with that idea," Edward replied, "is that Jasper and I WILL be with her when she goes on this crazy mission. That is non-negotiable. She will either need to learn to use her power with us there, or we will need to find another way to resolve this conflict."

"You're right, of course. I still think the setting is too clinical, nonconducive to _romance_," Felix replied, nonplused, exaggerating his Italian accent on 'romance' for dramatic emphasis.

Kelly rolled her eyes and smirked at him. "So I suppose you think Bella subscribing to your old 'love them and leave them' way of life is a better suggestion? Seriously?!" Everybody got a good chuckle.

Edward had apparently decided it was time for a break. "Bella, love, why don't we go for a walk? A little fresh air might do us all some good."

Bella nodded and squeezed my hand in thanks before standing up and following him. When he reached the door, he turned around and looked at me. "Are you coming, Jazz?" Dazed and a little confused, I mutely stood and followed them out the door.

* * *

**_A/N:_** By request from the wonderful Sxkitn, may I present Emmett covered in strawberry and whipped cream for your reviewing pleasure!


	4. Francesco

**_Disclaimer: _**Can you guess what I'm going to say here? lol

* * *

_**Chapter 3 - Edward's POV**_

Jasper's thoughts when I asked him to join Bella and I on our walk were, well...funny as hell, I had to admit. He was so confused as to why I would ask him to come, and was trying really hard not to look at Bella's ass. Unsuccessfully, I might add. He must have felt my humor, because he growled at me.

"Look, Jazz," I tried to explain, "the three of us, we're in this together. Bella needs to learn how to do this with us around, and quite frankly, we are both are going to need to learn how to deal with it when it works. Right now, she's trying to exercise her power on humans, which can be dangerous, but once she gets the hang of it, she's ultimately going to be affecting vampires, of the unfriendly variety. The danger factor is going to quadruple."

"Don't remind me," Bella piped in. I wrapped my arm around her and kissed her on the side of the temple as we walked.

Marcus suddenly caught up with us, trailing a step behind. "Mind if I join you? It might be helpful to see her interact with the public, see if any bonds form that we aren't aware of. Plus, if she is successful, I need to be able to assess the strength of the bond."

"For the chart, right?" Jasper said, a little sarcasm creeping in the corners. He really didn't like the chart. He didn't let the thought slip, but I think it had something to do with the description of their relationship, and how close below me his name fell in correlation to everyone else. I knew for a fact that the chart bothered Heidi, too. When she'd entered the war room today and saw Jasper holding Bella's hand, she'd asked me how I was okay with all this, and I could tell from her thoughts that the question was much more about her than it was about me. I answered her honestly. I didn't mention it to Jasper. I came to the conclusion a long time ago that they needed to work out their issues for themselves. Hopefully, like Bella and I, they will be able to grow, and grow together, in the process.

"Yes, for the chart. And to help protect Bella, should it become necessary. Besides, it is a blessedly cloudy day for a walk." Marcus put his hands on Bella's shoulders and squeezed a little before running his hands up and down her forearms soothingly. It was a very fatherly gesture. "I'm going to stay in the background, Bella. I don't want my presence to cause you any undue stress that might keep you from being successful. Bella turned to look at him with a grateful smile before he released her and fell back a few steps. Once we exited the castle and started heading towards the square, Marcus fell further behind, just barely within the range of being able to hear his thoughts.

Jasper and I tried to keep Bella entertained to keep her mind off the task at hand while we roamed about, making small talk and telling bad jokes. It occurred to me that we should have asked Emmett along. He would have known how to distract her. Next time.

Finally, we sat down on the side of the fountain to watch the pedestrians go by. I heard the thoughts of a man who was appreciating Bella's beauty from afar. He was wondering who Jasper and I were, and if either of us were romantically involved with her. I sought out the source of the thoughts, and saw a young Italian man, probably in his early twenties. He was handsome, and his thoughts seemed innocent enough. _Maybe we should give Bella a little space_, I thought to myself, wondering if maybe we should have taken our wedding rings off before beginning this. Of course, I realized not a moment later how completely opposite to my normal reaction such thoughts were. _It is necessary_, I reminded myself. _My Bella is going to save the world_. I have to let her, and help her any way I can.

_"Got one!_ " Marcus' thoughts screamed at me, almost causing me to jump in surprise.

"Jazz, why don't you and I get a gelato from that vendor over there?" Bella looked back and forth between us, slightly panicked.

"What flavor would you like, love?" I asked her, smirking a little at my tongue-in-cheek question. Bella rolled her eyes, but at least she seemed a little calmer. I was fairly certain it was Jasper's doing.

"Watermelon. Please. And don't go too far!" I forced myself to refrain from bending over and kissing her before Jazz and I walked away.

"Marcus says it worked, do you feel it?" I whispered to Jasper.

"Oh yeah," Jasper replied. "That guy is definitely in love." Jasper was not happy about it.

"Fabulous," I replied a little sarcastically, because honestly, I wasn't happy about it either. I knew I needed to be supportive, and I felt that I was being extremely patient and understanding, but I couldn't help my reflex reactions every once in a while. Part of me secretly hoped she would never work out her power, even if it did mean the destruction of our world as we knew it. Coming to terms with the situation was hard for me, and if there was anyone who could understand what I was going through, it was Jasper.

"This is completely fucked up," Jasper said as we walked away, reminding me that it was hard on Jasper, too.

"Don't I know it," I replied, because really, what else was there to say? "Thank you for being here for her. I know this can't be easy for you."

"Thank you for letting me," he replied. "I know it can't be easy for you, either."

"Actually, I have to say I'm finding it much easier to handle your affections for Bella than that Trevor person or this guy. The concept that Bella is actively trying to make men fall in love with her, create an irreversable bond with them... I really wish there was some other way."

"I know what you mean. You and I have come to terms with each other in our feelings for Bella, I think. It's a tightrope walk at times, but we've more or less worked it out, and we know that the other has Bella's best interests at heart. These other yo-yo's, who knows what their intentions will be? Plus, I'm really nervous about how this is going to pan out once she affects the Romanians and their people. There is a high possibility that they will be as bad or worse than James or Caius."

"Which is exactly why I'm so grateful that you're going to be there with us. She's going to need all the help she can get, and there's no one I'd rather have watching our back than you."

"And I, you, brother." I could hear Jasper trying to guard his thoughts from me once again. It didn't feel right that I could pour my heart out to him, but he had to be constantly on edge.

"Jasper...I don't want you to worry so much about hiding your thoughts from me. I'm not going to rip your head off for thinking about her in a way which might otherwise be considered inappropriate. This mission is going to be difficult enough without you feeling like you have to walk on eggshells around me. I'm sure the thoughts of her other 'subjects' are going to be much worse, anyway."

"I appreciate that, Edward. I'm not sure I believe you, but I appreciate the gesture." I chuckled at that, because if I were him, I wouldn't believe me, either. I wasn't even certain I believed myself, but it was important nonetheless. The three of us needed to be seamless. We couldn't afford unnecessary friction between us. I tried to think of something I could say to put him at ease.

" Jazz?" He looked up at me quizzically. "She really does have a fantastic ass, doesn't she?" Jasper just rolled his eyes, shook his head at me and laughed.

We didn't look back as we eavesdropped on the man, who saw the opportunity to talk to Bella and decided to take it.

"Is this seat taken?" he asked Bella in heavily accented English. Bella smiled at him shyly and shook her head 'no.'

"Hello," the man said as he sat down next to her, admiring her hair. "My name is Francesco, what is yours?"

"Isabella, but my friends call me Bella."

"I can see why, but I'm sure you hear that all the time, don't you?" He smiled at her knowingly.

"Once in a while," she replied humbly.

"Lucky she's one of us now. Her face would be burning off from blushing right now if she were human," Jasper whispered with a chuckle. He let me feel a little of her embarrassment and I had to laugh with him. It was so typically Bella, hating to be the center of attention.

"Isabella, I know we've never met before, but I feel as though you and I, we belong together. Does that sound strange to you? I know it does to me. Would you like to go to a cafe, or dinner, or someplace where we could get to know one another better?"

Jasper was closely monitoring his emotions for any sign of one of the 'red flag' emotions, but didn't find any. Just love. It felt like a knife in my stomach, and I knew Jasper felt the same way.

"It's time to end this," Jasper said. "She's feeling more uncomfortable by the minute, and I don't think either of us can take this for much longer. Let's get her out of here." I completely agreed. We made our way through the crowd as quickly as humanly possible.

"Bella, love," I said just as Francesco was reaching for her hand, "It's time to get going." Bella stood gratefully, and I pulled her into my arms, kissing her chastely, maintaining the connection just long enough for reality to set in for Francesco before pulling away and handing her the gelato. I could tell from Jasper's pained thoughts that the man was truly heartbroken, and I felt bad for him.

"Isabella?" Francesco asked, holding on to one last shred of hope.

Bella turned to him and pursed her lips, trying to find the right words. "I'm sorry, Francesco. I don't think that I can take you up on that offer. But I'm flattered, truly. I hope you have a wonderful life." We started walking away, but Francesco was following behind us, his mind trying to come up with any excuse to stop us, try again to get Bella to see that they belonged together, that this was more than just an instant attraction. Finally, we were able to lose him and meet up with Marcus in the alleyway.

"Well, that was a start," Marcus said joyfully. "He actually had a very strong bond, surprisingly so. Nowhere near Edward or Jasper, of course, but still, stronger than my bond with you. Remarkable."

"Will he be alright?" Bella asked worriedly.

"He's feeling rather shredded at the moment, like he saw his future and then saw it destroyed all in one moment," Jasper relayed morosely. I felt Francesco's pain at that moment, and I'm sure Jasper did as well. He and I had both shattered each other's dreams of the future at one point in time.

"I almost wonder if it wouldn't have been more humane to bring him back with us, introduce him to Gianna," Marcus mused.

"No!" Bella hissed. "No more deaths because of me. The guilt over Trevor's death is bad enough."

Marcus had the good sense to look remorseful. "Yes, of course, of course. I'm sorry, dear. Old habits die hard, I'm afraid. Trevor's time had come, regardless, Bella. Remember that." He was a fool to think that statements like that were going to help. Bella's low growl made that point clear.

"Bella, did you feel anything? Did you realize you were doing it?" I asked, trying to refocus the conversation.

"Maybe. I'm not sure. I remember thinking that he was attractive," Bella bit her lip, embarrassed to be talking about this. I swallowed back my jealousy once more, trying to remind myself that acknowledging someone was attractive did not equate to anything more. At least, not on her part. "And I thought he seemed friendly and that out of all the people who'd walked by, he was probably the one guy I saw who I wouldn't mind talking to. I'm sorry!" Bella said to both me and Jasper, knowing what her statements were likely doing to us. I just shook my head at her. I didn't want to lie and say it was alright, but I didn't want to upset her further, either. It was what it was, and I would have to live with it.

"When exactly did you have those thoughts, Bella? This is critical, because I saw the bond form before he ever said a word to you, although it got stronger when he started the conversation."

"I had them as soon as I saw him. When I looked up, he was looking at me. Those were my first thoughts. I did feel, I don't know how to describe it...warm? Yeah, I guess that's the best word. Warm, in my chest, just for a moment."

"Excellent, Bella!" Marcus exclaimed. "That's wonderful news! It is definite progress!" We were all smiles as we continued through the castle. That is, until we re-entered the war room.

"The Romanians have killed one of our scouts," Aro said gravely the moment we entered. "It has begun."

* * *

**_A/N:_** For Seraphina Cullen, a caramel covered Carlisle, with a cherry on top. ;)


	5. Brandon

Disclaimer: You all know what part of this story is mine and what's not, right? Thanks for respecting that. :)

A/N: Thanks to Decemberchick for her recent rec of my stories on lion_lamb at Livejournal. No one is allowed to stone her without going through me first. ;) Thanks as always to Juliet for the undercover beta'ing.

* * *

_**Chapter 4 - Jasper's POV**_

I didn't know what to make of Bella's apology. I held no claim to her anymore, why would she be apologizing to me for her thoughts about Francesco? I am sure they both knew that I was certain to react to the situation in a very similar manner to Edward, but still, I was surprised she took that into consideration. I was even more surprised that Edward didn't respond to her concern for me. I felt that he was upset, as he has been since we all arrived here, but there was no sudden spike in hostility or insecurity. Just the same stress, sadness, and reluctance that we've both been feeling.

Aro's announcement as we reentered the war room did nothing to calm our nerves. We made our way to the table and sat down for the debriefing. Everyone else was already there, mild panic was floating throughout the room. I took a moment to look across the room at Heidi, who had barely spared two words for me since Bella got off the plane. How I wished I could read her emotions, so I could try and figure out what was going on in her head. Bella caught me looking at Heidi and took my hand, squeezing it in support. I turned and smiled at her gratefully and she smiled back, letting me feel her love and guilt and sympathy. Of course, Heidi would take that exact moment to twist back and look at me, only to turn away just as quickly. Bella saw her and immediately felt remorseful. She tried to take her hand away, but I held tighter. It was too late, what was the point? Bella nodded and maintained her almost routine position in this room, one hand holding mine, one hand holding Edward's.

Aro cleared his throat to get our attention. "We have had an undercover operative, a spy if you will, in the Romanian organization for some time now. We had discovered that they were running a research facility of sorts in Siberia, where so-called scientists were doing genetic studies and testing on kidnapped humans, attempting to increase their blood volume and speed of reproduction. We were able to get one of our supporters into the building and he has been one of our main sources of information for the past six months. This morning, his head was delivered in a box. From what he told us, he was forced to watch the rest of his body go up in flames, but was not given the mercy of death since he refused to turn on us. Not getting the names and information they desired, they shipped his head to us with a warning that our days were numbered."

"Wait a minute! You mean, his head is still alive, talking to you like some god awful animated bust?" Kelly asked, disgusted.

"Not any longer. Setting that poor man's head aflame was difficult, but it was the merciful thing to do," Carlisle replied. "I prayed for him to find peace in the next life and set him free from his suffering."

"Yes. Well, today has brought a few things into sharp resolution. First, that they know we are aware of their activities, but more importantly, that they are taking the first steps towards coming out of the shadows. They had no fear, as they should have had in sending us this message."

"So what now? Are you going to send some guards in there to kick some ass? Isn't that the standard protocol around these parts?" Emmett asked. "Do they want some help? I'll pitch in! I'd love to rip a few of those sick bastards to pieces."

"I'm not sure that's the best course of action," Carlisle said, his voice and expressions giving off an air of calmness that I knew for a fact was a front. "I think right now it is more important that we step up efforts to get Bella's talents under control. How did today go?" He implored.

"Well," Marcus answered for us. "She succeeded in using her powers to make a young man in the square fall in love with her. Below Carlisle, but above myself."

Carlisle spent a few moments questioning Bella for any sign of how she was able to do it, made some notes, and Francesco was officially on the Bella Fan Club chart. Fuck, I hate that chart.

"I've been thinking, and I think Felix may have the right idea when he suggested going out," Alice piped in. "Bella, I don't have to be an empath to know you're seriously stressed. It's written all over your face. It would make sense that your power worked today because it's the first time you've probably relaxed even a little bit since we've been here. Am I right?" Bella reluctantly nodded. "We'll all go," Alice enthused. "It'll be fun!"

"Bella," Felix spoke up. "The man who died for us today was a friend of mine. I know how hard the very idea of this is for you. We all care for you, that blasted chart tells you how much, and all the girls here care about you, too. We loath putting you through this, if for no other reason than that we want to keep you to ourselves." Everyone chuckled at that. "But you are our only hope. You need to do this so that no one else has to die needlessly," Felix said with heartbreaking sincerity.

Adrian, who had been pacing the back of the room restlessly, decided to stand behind Bella, bending down to kiss her forehead and rub her forearms for a moment before bending down and hugging her. "You can do it, Hells Bells, I know you can."

I felt it the moment she gave in. "Alright. You're right. I'll try harder." Bella sighed in defeat. "Let's go dancing." Alice jumped up and clapped.

Alice and the girls all immediately left to go shopping for new dresses for the evening. The rest of us continued the meeting, going over strategies on how this was going to work if Bella succeeded, and attempted to come up with some sort of back-up plan if she didn't.

As soon as nightfall hit, we all headed out, save Aro, Carlisle and Esme, who couldn't blend in at a nightclub as well as the rest of us. The girls all looked beautiful, every one of them done to the nines. Bella was dressed with a red silk blouse and black ruffled skirt, so sexy but not overdone or trampy. Alice had a deep purple dress with a v-neck and spaghetti straps on that looked gorgeous with her black hair. Heidi chose to dress down a little from the others so as to not draw attention to herself, as did Gianna, who was much like Heidi. If she wasn't fishing, she shied away from that kind of attention. Not that it would work, they were both far too beautiful not to notice. Rosalie, of course, had no such hang-ups, dressing in a gold lame dress that was stunning on her.

The game plan was that we would all hang out and relax, but that the girls would spend a decent amount of time out on the dance floor without us, giving some unsuspecting men a chance to approach Bella.

We were having a great time, and I could feel the tension slowly release into the mist. The first slow song came on, and I walked up behind Heidi and asked her to dance. I was pleasantly shocked when she turned around and smiled up at me before saying yes. I took her by the hand and led her to the dance floor, where Bella was already dancing with Edward. I could tell Edward was having a hard time not dancing with her in a way that laid his claim for all to see. I didn't blame him. Bella and Edward looked over at Heidi and I and both smiled their approval.

"I miss you," I whispered in her ear as I pulled her into my arms, nuzzling my head into her neck and breathing her in as we rocked to the music.

"I miss you, too," she whispered back, laying her cheek against my chest.

"Heidi, do---" I started to ask her if she saw a way she'd be willing to give us another chance, but she interrupted me.

"It doesn't matter, though," she said, holding me a little tighter in her arms. "It'll never work. It'll never be enough for me."

We swayed back and forth, just holding onto each other, and when the song was over, Heidi kissed my cheek and walked away without another word.

Edward clamped his hand on my shoulder. "Come on, Jazz. Let's get a drink." I ordered a Southern Comfort straight up and really wished I could drink it as we kept up appearances. Emmett's tried before, though, to disastrous results. He swore it burnt his nose hairs when he started vomiting and it spewed amber liquid out of his nose.

Bella, Alice, and Rosalie were all dancing together in a group for a little while, and the rest of us had spread out, wandering. Edward, Adrian and Emmett had gone outside to get some fresh air. Felix was completely lost in Kelly, making out at our VIP table. Demetri was dancing with Gianna. Marcus had disappeared with Heidi. I could only assume she'd had enough and he was taking her home. We'd been there for hours with no sign of Bella's power kicking in; he'd already written the night off as good for the nerves, but nothing more.

I scanned the crowd and saw Alice and Rose dancing by themselves. Bella was no longer with them. Curious, I started looking around searching for her. That's when I felt it. I was hit with a wave of incredibly strong obsessive lust, topped with the euphoria associated with feeling powerful. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was the fear, crippling, paralyzing fear.

My eyes zeroed in on Bella. A man, human, had Bella pushed into a dark corner of the club, her back against the wall. Bella was pleading with him.

"Brandon, you don't want to do this. I don't want this! Please, you don't know what you're doing," Bella cried. His only response was an unintelligible grunt as he tugged her shirt hem out from under her skirt and shoved his hand up under it while he attacked her neck with his mouth. "Please, no. Stop!"

I ran to her as quickly as I could without drawing attention, knowing exactly what I had to do. Bella's eyes were wide as she tried to gently push against him. I slunk up behind him, gripping his hipbones tightly in my hands, feeling the flesh give way. He gasped but before he could lift his head or otherwise react, I bent my head and bit him. He instinctively gripped Bella's waist for support and his forehead dropped to her shoulder. To anyone paying casual attention to the scene in front of them, they would think it was three lovers in an embrace, and for one brief moment, it almost felt like it was. His blood was intoxicating, the alcohol and adrenalin flavoring it, making me feel almost euphoric. I relished every drop as I killed him, not feeling one second of guilt for ridding the world of someone foolish enough to try and hurt Bella. I moaned with satisfaction as I drank the last drop. Once he was drained and his heart ceased, I gently moved him to the nearest chair, careful to make it look as though he'd passed out drunk.

Bella was shaking terribly and I rushed back to her, where she collapsed into my arms, dry sobs wracking her body. "It was my fault, I did that. I made him like that. I know I could have fought him off, but I didn't want to hurt him. I didn't want to kill him when it was my fault. I swore Trevor would be the last. Plus, I couldn't expose us! I didn't know what to do!"

I peppered her face with tiny kisses, just about everywhere except her lips, so thankful I got there in time. "Shhh, darlin', it's over. It's alright. I've got you." She pressed her forehead into the crook of my neck and I laid my cheek on the top of her head, rubbing my hands up and down her spine, trying to comfort her.

Bella calmed down a little and pulled back to look at me. "Thank you, Jasper. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't saved me. I couldn't kill him, but I didn't want to let him...do that...either. It reminded me of when I was attacked in Port Angeles, and I just panicked. I can't believe you did that for me. You've worked so hard--" her voice faltered as she realized the magnitude of what I had just done. Not only had I taken a man's life, I had drank from him, something I swore I would never do. "Thank you," she breathed again. Her relief was pulsing through me, surrounding me with her love and gratitude. I kissed her forehead before pulling her back against my chest, burying my fingers in her hair and cupping the back of her head with one hand, holding her to me with my other arm wrapped securely around her waist.

Edward and Adrian came up behind us just then. I felt Edward's anger and jealousy as they approached, but it was quickly squashed when he heard Bella's speech. I turned to look at him, not knowing what to expect, but knowing I wasn't letting go of Bella until she was ready to be let go.

"Thank you, Jazz," Edward said simply. Bella's eyes shot open at the sound of his voice, and I released her with a smile as she ran into his arms. Adrian came to stand by me, and we turned away from the intimate moment they were sharing, trying to give them some privacy.

"That was a good thing you just did, Jazz. You might want to grab that dude's shades, though," Adrian said, pointing to Brandon's body. "Your eyes are changing color already."

Emmett and Rose found us and surveyed the scene. As soon as they saw the dead man sitting in the corner and me wearing said dead man's sunglasses in the middle of a dark nightclub, Rose turned and disappeared into the crowd, presumably to gather everyone else. "Well, that's enough fun for one night, don't you think?" Emmett asked with a smile on his face.

We grabbed our jackets and paid the tab before heading towards the exit. Just as we were leaving, we saw someone entering to our left. It was Francesco. Bella gasped in shock, and Francesco zeroed in on her quickly.

"Bella!" he shouted, absolutely ecstatic. Edward put his hand on the small of her back and continued to lead her out of the club. Francesco turned and followed. We tried to lose him, but shy of revealing ourselves, it wasn't working. Francesco was relentless and determined.

Demetri took to the front of the group, announcing, "I am sick of _this_ shit. Follow me." Demetri lead us into the dark alley that led to the catacomb entrance to the castle. Still Francesco followed. He was two steps in from the edge of the lamplight shining on the concrete. For a split second, I felt his hesitation before Demetri turned on him, pinning him to the wall and biting him.

"No!" Bella screamed. "Don't kill him!" Demetri wasn't stopping, though, until Emmett forced his arms between them and physically separated him from his Francesco, who collapsed to the ground, near unconsciousness. A moment later, he screamed as the burning began. Emmett clamped his hand over the man's mouth and picked him up with the other hand.

"Well, don't just stand there. Open the damn door!" Emmett said, irritated. We let him go first, then followed him to the castle. Carlisle heard Francesco's muffled cries and met us in the lobby as we exited the tunnels. Emmett gratefully handed him over to Carlisle, who took Francesco away, whether to destroy him or allow the transformation to complete, I wasn't sure. Knowing Carlisle, it was a safe assumption that the Volturi just acquired a new member.

* * *

A/N: Hmmm...let's see, how about, by request of Undeniably Obsessed (I'm too lazy to do that many capitals, forgive me!) naked Jasper with whipped cream and white chocolate for a review?


	6. Evan

**_Disclaimer: _**You know the routine. Thank you, Stephenie, for allowing us to play in your world. Thank you, readers, for not stealing my little story without permission. I have the best fangirls and Twiguys in the world! Thank you, changed_by_Edward, for undercover beta'ing and helping me see past the gauntlet that is my life lately. More than Romeo, bb.

**_A/N: _**My girl readingtime's awesome story **_Dark Cravings_** has been nominated for an Indie Twific Award in the Love Conquers All--Novella category. If you read and loved this original story as much as I did, go vote for her now! Link for both the story and award sites are on my profile.

For those of you on the critique readers list for Manhunt, a new chapter was posted last week and another one will be posted this week, hopefully tomorrow.

* * *

_**Chapter 5 - Edward's POV**_

"So what's up with Alice?" I asked Adrian as we walked outside the club, needing a little fresh air. "Her thoughts have been rather disjointed lately. I was surprised she was so excited about tonight."

"Man, I'm beside myself. I don't know what to do. She can't see a damn thing about the future right now, because I'm in it, and it's frustrating her to no end. If it weren't for the fact that I couldn't bear to leave her and Bells and the rest of the family, I would consider bailing, just to give Ally a break."

"I got the impression back home that, once she got used to the idea, she actually liked not being able to see the future when you're around. Like me with Bella, the block of her powers is actually freeing, soothing. It allows her to live in the moment, be surprised and take joy in things she hadn't been able to before."

"Well, that's all well and good back home in Scotland, but here in Italy, with the wellbeing of the entire planet hanging in the balance, it's pissing her off. Royally. She wants to help Bella, just like the rest of us, but without her visions she feels handicapped."

"Well, I can understand that, I suppose. She's not blaming you, though, is she? It's not your fault."

Adrian sighed and scrubbed his face with his hands in frustration. "Yes and no. Logically, she knows it's out of my control, but still, it _is_ my fault, you know?"

"It's not, although I can understand you feeling that way. So why was she so gung ho for tonight, then?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"I dunno. Excuse to go shopping? Chance to feel like she's helping Bells, even if it's just by doing her hair? Needing to burn off some steam of her own?" I nodded silently.

"The fact that you two are here supporting Bella in her time of need means so much to her, to both of us, really."

"She was my Bells-n-Whistles long before she was your Bella, even, Edward. She's my best friend, my sister, my family. If it wasn't for her, I don't know where I'd be right now."

"You'd be twenty years older, with a receeding hairline and a pot belly," Emmett teased as he appeared to my other side, slapping me on the back.

"Naw, man. I'm serious. And I don't mean the fact that she introduced me to Ally and all of you, even though that's the best, and craziest, thing that's ever happened to me. I mean before that. When we were growing up and things sucked at home...none of my friends understood. All they saw was that my family was rich and I was good looking and a quarterback. As far as they were concerned, I had no room to be complaining about anything. Bella was the only one who ever took the time to listen, to understand, you know? I don't know what I'd do without her." Adrian hung his head and sighed, shaking it a little before lifting it back up again and laughing it off. "Alright, enough of the downer bullshit. Where's the girls? I want one last dance with my Ally-Angel before we blow this popsicle stand."

"What are the girls doing?" I asked Emmett as we turned to head back inside.

"Oh, you know, dippin' low, grinding up against one another, and laughing at the guys droolin' over them. Doesn't seem like Bella's mojo magic is coming out tonight, though. Plenty of guys lusting after them, as usual, but no cupid's arrows or cartoon hearts for pupils as far as I can see."

Just then Marcus exited the club, Heidi in his arms. "Don't worry, my dear. It'll be alright. Yes, he loves Bella. But Heidi, it doesn't mean he loves you any less because of it. The bond with you is just as strong, if not stronger, than most married couples I see. Yes, his bond with Bella is stronger, but still..." I came to the conclusion then that for all Marcus' years, he never learned how to comfort someone. He had a knack for saying the exact wrong thing at the exact wrong time. I would almost call it endearing, if it weren't for the fact that Heidi was sobbing louder than ever as he helped her into the passenger seat of his car and drove away. And listening to him talk about Jasper's bond with Bella being stronger than Heidi's, which was stronger than 'most married couples'... I just really didn't need to hear that and couldn't avoid doing the math in my head. I took a moment to calm myself down.

Once I did, we made our way back inside, and immediately I was on edge. Alice and Rosalie had lost track of Bella and were searching for her in the crowd. Felix and Kelly were still making out at the table and Demetri and Gianna were still dancing. All four of them were completely unaware of Alice and Rosalie's state of panic. Jasper was nowhere to be found. I quickly began scanning the crowd's thoughts for any sign of them, with no luck. Emmett, Adrian and I started pushing our way through the throngs of people.

Adrian and I found them first. Bella was in Jasper's arms. He was holding her close and rocking back and forth, his hands moving up and down her spine while he kissed her face, her arms wrapped tightly around him as he did. I couldn't stop myself from feeling an overwhelming surge of jealousy and anger. For one, brief moment I wanted to tear him apart. That is, until I heard Bella thanking him for rescuing her, and heard his thoughts. There was nothing sexual or lascivious at all, despite the intimate appearance of their embrace. My anger dissolved into guilt when I realized the only reason Jasper was holding my girl was because I wasn't there to rescue her myself.

I thanked Jasper and Bella jumped out of his arms and came rushing to me.

"I didn't know what to do, Edward. I panicked. I was so torn between what I was capable of doing and what I should or shouldn't do that I just froze. If it weren't for Jasper..." she whispered as she pressed herself against me as tightly as she could. "It was my fault. I used my power. I felt it. He wouldn't have acted like that if it weren't for me. Jasper killed him to save me. He...he...he drained him. I'm sure he felt he had no other choice. God, I hope he doesn't hate me for it."

"Shhh, love, no worries. That man wouldn't have acted like that if it weren't in his nature, regardless of your influence. We'll get Jasper through it. We'll get you through it. It's going to be fine. The important thing is you're alright."

Emmett had the right idea when he suggested we get out of there quickly. Running into Francesco was an unexpected complication, to say the least. For the second time, he surprised me by following us so doggedly. Demetri sprung so fast I didn't even hear a thought in his mind planning it. He just got fed up and sprung. I didn't need to hear Jasper's thoughts to know Bella was pissed about it. He was about to find out.

The rest of us watched helplessly as Bella paced the war room, her anger at a level I was quite certain I'd never witnessed before. Jasper made the grave mistake of trying to use his powers to calm her.

"I believe you and I have had a conversation once before about using your powers against me without my permission, haven't we?" she asked him icily.

"Bella..." Jasper stumbled over his words, his hands up in the air in surrender.

"No. I'm pissed off, and I have a right to be. Leave my emotions alone." And that ended that. Jasper sank into his chair, as helpless as the rest of us to stop the inferno that was about to take place.

Carlisle came in first, eyeing Bella warily, but wisely keeping his comments to himself. "Francesco has begun the transformation. I gave him the option, and he chose our path." His mind replayed their conversation before he could stop himself.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me!" I groaned, throwing my head back in frustration.

"What?" Jasper asked.

"He chose to become a vampire for no other reason than that Bella is a vampire. He thinks he will now have eternity to win her over." I couldn't suppress my growl

"Jesus Christ," Jasper agreed.

"Wait, isn't this a good thing? It means she really worked one over on him, right? He's totally hooked. Her powers worked!" Emmett enthused. I raised an eyebrow at him and he backpedaled. "I mean, it sucks for you, bro, totally. But good for the fate of the world, right?" Rosalie growled at him and he shut up.

Bella, meanwhile, had not paid any attention to the conversation. She was still pacing. All I could gather from Jasper's thoughts was that she was projecting fierce determination.

A few minutes later, Demetri walked into the room, followed by Marcus. Bella stopped her pacing, and Demetri froze in his steps as he met her gaze. They stayed that way for only a moment, but it seemed to last forever. Marcus gasped just before Bella started to speak.

"What the hell were you thinking? Did you not hear me screaming at you to stop?" she asked. It was the first time I'd ever thought, she looks like a vampire. She _sounds_ like a vampire. I was honestly afraid of how the next few seconds would play out.

Demetri didn't react how I expected him to. His face softened and he looked at Bella, completely penitent. "I'm so sorry, Bella. It won't happen again. Please say you forgive me?"

"Am I the only one seeing the cartoon hearts floating out of his eyes right now?" Adrian quipped, drawing on Emmett's comment from earlier in the evening. He was right. Demetri looked like a love struck puppy.

I looked back at Bella and she looked smug. Her arms were crossed over her chest, one hip jutted to the side, and a full-on smirk on her lips.

Marcus decided to clear the confusion. "Demetri's bond with you just increased exponentially, Bella. You did it intentionally, didn't you? You knew what you were doing this time?"

Bella never took her eyes of Demetri. "Yes. I thought to myself that I wished he was higher up on the chart, because if he were higher up the chart, then he might have listened to me when I screamed at him not to bite Francesco. As soon as I had that thought, I felt that warmth in my chest again. I focused on it, tried to mentally picture pushing it outward, towards him. I guess it worked," Bella shrugged. Gianna stood up quietly and left the room. Part of me wanted to join her.

"Marvelous!" Aro clapped his hands. "Thank the gods!"

"Wait, though, not so fast. We need to dissect this, analyze it. I think it might have had something to do with the powerful emotions she was feeling, even if the emotions she was feeling don't correlate to the feelings she created with the bond," Carlisle suggested.

"You might be on to something," Jasper said. "On the baseball field, when we first met James, I felt Bella's emotions. There was an overwhelming fear there."

"I think it's more than that," I said, feeling as though a piece of the puzzle was still missing. "Bella, when you met James and he scared you, what were you thinking?"

"I kept repeating 'go away, just go away' in my head. I desperately wanted him to leave us alone."

"And how about...the first day of school. Jasper has said before you had some strong emotions running through you that first day, and it would seem as though you enchanted several guys that day. Eric, for example, what were you thinking when you met him?"

"I was thinking that maybe if I was nice to him, I could keep him from putting my picture on the front page of the school newspaper."

"And Mike?"

"I was thinking I wanted him to back off."

"And me?"

"I thought you were insanely gorgeous. I wanted you to like me," Bella said shyly. I kissed her forehead and she smiled at me.

"See what I mean? There was something she wanted out of every one of the men we just mentioned. I think that, coupled with her strong emotions at that critical moment, lights the match to her power."

"What did you want from me, Bella?" Emmett asked cheekily.

"I wanted you to like me, to approve of me being with Edward, I suppose."

"What about me?" Felix asked, needing some reassurance from her since he was not happy about being on the bottom of the chart now that Demetri had gotten promoted. I prayed he wasn't stupid enough to let Kelly know the direction his thoughts had taken.

"Easy. I wanted you to not kill me." Felix chuckled at that. I'm not sure Bella meant it to be funny.

"What about tonight, Bella? Did you consciously want something from Brandon that would have caused your power to engage?" I wished Brandon was still alive...so I could kill him again myself.

"I was feeling so incredibly frustrated and angry at myself. I saw Marcus leave and figured he gave up on me. That I failed. Brandon walked up just then and asked me to dance. My first thought was 'this is my last chance.' I've got to make this work. And then I felt it. I knew it worked before it even registered in his features."

"Well, there you have it. We seem to have our equation. Strong emotions, plus Bella's desire to control a situation or a person in one way or another, plus projection of her psychic energy equals enchanted individual. We will, of course, need to test this hypothesis to be sure," Carlisle stated, seemingly thrilled with his latest opportunity to explore the scientific method.

"But what if I'm not feeling strong emotions? I can't just fake that kind of thing," Bella interjected. Jasper considered volunteering to give her a nudge in the right direction, but changed his mind when he recalled how she had reacted earlier.

Aro, Marcus and Carlisle were determined to test this theory right away. Their sense of urgency precluded seeking out a human, so a member of the guard -- a young vampire named Evan, was brought into the war room.

At first, nothing happened. Bella looked determined, but apparently couldn't dredge up the fury she had with Demetri. After a few moments, she looked at Jasper pleadingly. "Help me, please."

"Oh, sure, NOW you want me to manipulate your emotions," Jasper teased. That was all it took. Jasper didn't even need to do anything. You could almost see the fire in her eyes as she turned back to Evan, who immediately melted into a pile of goo at her feet. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

Evan turned to her, all confusion about his presence before the Volturi royalty forgotten. He dropped to one knee and took her hand in both of his to reverently kiss her knuckles before gazing up at her adoringly.

"What is your wish, my Queen?"

* * *

A/N: So tell me, are you happy Bella has learned to control her powers, or pissed at her for chosing to test them out on Demetri?

Edward has come to take his place at the Naked Cullen Boy buffet for my wonderful reviewers. Loving all things classic, Edward chose chocolate, strawberry, and pineapple sauces, complete with whipped cream and his, um...banana!


	7. Carlisle Thank You!

**Disclaimer: **Some's mine, some's not. I think you know by now which is which. :)

A/N: Did I actually write five whole chapters without a lemon? That's got to be a new record for me! ;) So I hear FF failed and didn't send out update alerts last chapter to a lot of people. So I did the only thing I could do to help -- post another chapter! :)

* * *

_**Chapter 6  
Edward's POV**_

I had reason to believe that was what it felt like to be exhausted. Mentally spent. Shot. Drained. Whatever you want to call it, that's how I felt. I had never before just wanted to pull the blankets over my head, bury my head in the sand, escape to some uninhabited island near the equator with Bella while the rest of the world goes to hell. It sounded more like a good plan with every minute that passed in the war room.

At least this Evan character wasn't actually in love with Bella, just had some instant admiration for her. Rosalie compared it to how people adored Princess Diana and I guess that's as good a comparison as any. He was certainly willing to lay his life down for her, but thankfully his wife of 150 years had nothing to fear. For the moment.

I had to admit I was upset with Bella for what she did to Demetri, and indirectly to Gianna. Demetri was wrong when he attacked Francesco that way, no doubt about it, and I understood that Bella was angry, but amping up her powers on him that way was almost vindictive. And now I had two more vampires in love with my Bella.

Even worse than the unfamiliar and unwelcome anger I was feeling towards Bella, I was scared. I had to face the reality that Bella was gaining control of her powers; that we were really going on this crazy mission. Deep down, I didn't want it to work. I didn't want her to get control over it. I didn't want her to put herself in danger like this, consequences be damned.

I was overwhelmed by emotions, and my caveman side overpowered my exhaustion as I took her hand and dragged her out of the room to our suite. I was about five seconds away from throwing her over my shoulder and running out of there, but she wouldn't have appreciated it in front of all those people. I briefly considered doing it anyway. Show them all exactly who she belonged to. Smack her ass as she squirmed. Yup, really should have done that, I thought to myself as I adjusted myself. I pulled her inside the door and slammed it behind us, pinning her to the back of it. I devoured her mouth, my hands grabbing and squeezing and ripping while I ground my erection against her center. In seconds, her clothes were nothing but shredded ribbons of fabric in a pile around her feet. I picked her up and she wrapped her legs around me as I blindly walked to the bed, my mouth never leaving hers. When my knees hit the mattress, I dropped her onto the bed, ignoring its creaking protest as she bounced on it. I followed quickly, climbing on the mattress and crawling over her while she scooted back towards the pillows.

I lowered my head and took one of her nipples into my mouth, biting it semi-gently before showering it with attention, suckling it for all I was worth. Bella arched her back, moaning in pleasure from the feeling of my tongue flicking her peak within the vacuum of my mouth. After I had similarly worshipped her other side, Bella grabbed my hair and roughly pulled be back up to her.

She took control of the kiss this time, each sweep of her tongue a reminder that she loved me. Needed me. That I was hers as she was mine. My soul rejoiced with every caressing stroke of her hand on my back. "Now, Edward," she groaned breathily between kisses. "I need you now." I reached between us and slid my middle finger into her sweet, wet folds, delighted to find she was already more than ready for me. A few more thrusts with my finger, then I pulled my hand away and immediately thrust myself fully inside her.

I growled out loud with the feeling of her surrounding me, pulling me deeper and deeper in, holding me tightly inside her as if she were never going to allow me to leave. My neck muscles tightened with the tension already building inside me as I tried to control my thrusts, slow down. I needed to make this last. I nestled my face into the crook of her neck and kissed what skin I could reach, wrapping my arms tightly around her. No matter how close we were, how deep I was, it was never enough. I needed more. If I could cry, I would have.

Bella was panting, sighing "I love you" with every breath. Her walls were fluttering around me with her quickly approaching release. I couldn't hold back anymore, my strokes becoming harder. Faster. More erratic as I pounded into her. I screamed her name as I spilt inside her, my orgasm almost painful in its intensity as we came together. Bella kept her arms and legs wrapped tightly around me after my head collapsed on her shoulder, once again exhausted after my release. I could feel her trembling. I knew it couldn't be from the cold, but I drew the blankets over us anyway. There was a comfort in the weight of them over us, cradling us in their softness, creating a tiny sanctuary in the middle of hell for us.

I held her there for what was probably hours. Neither of us spoke, just caressed and touched and kissed languidly. We both jumped, startled when we heard a knock at the door. We were so lost in the moment that we weren't paying a bit of attention. "Just a minute," I called as we quickly dressed. "It's Carlisle," I told her. I could tell from his thoughts that he wanted to talk to her about a few things, namely using her powers responsibly. I had to hold back the chuckle at the backlash he was sure to receive, but I wasn't about to stop him if he wanted to play Dad for a while. It saved me the trouble of having to confront her about it myself.

Bella opened the door and Carlisle smiled warmly at her. He did truly love her as a daughter. It was the side of her powers I was grateful for. She was lucky to be surrounded by so many people who genuinely cared for her. Outside of my family, it was something rarely found in the vampire world. Of course, we would all love her anyway. After all, she was Bella. What was there not to love?

"Hello, Bella. Do you think we could go for a walk?"

_**Carlisle's POV**_

After the meeting, Bella and Edward disappeared, clearly needing some alone time to reconnect after what was a very productive, but stressful, set of developments. I gave them some time. I needed to gather my thoughts together before I took Bella aside.

I heard a quiet knock on the door to Esme's and my suite. Esme opened the door for Jasper and Aro and excused herself to go check on Gianna, whom Alice and the rest of the girls were apparently trying to comfort. What a mess.

"Jasper, Aro and I wanted to discuss something with you privately before we informed the rest of the family. Please, have a seat." Jasper sat in one of the wing back chairs facing the fireplace, turning it to face me. "The Romanians aren't the only dangerous ones in this. We learned today from Felix's friend that they have Maria working with them."

Jasper put his elbows on his spread knees and hung his head into his hands, his body shaking just a little. Aro raised an eyebrow at me in question, but I just nodded to tell him it was alright, just to give him a minute.

"Now what?" he finally spoke after what was probably five minutes of deep thought, his hands hanging limply between his knees. "Bella's powers won't work on Maria. Plus, knowing Maria she has probably already bedded one, if not both, of the Romanians, and if Bella manages to turn them, she's just going to have yet another female vamp pissed off at her, only this one is an evil, vengeful bitch. We've put all our eggs into one basket, and now we're screwed."

"Not necessarily," I countered. "For one thing, we've only assumed her powers only work on men. We've never actually had her try to enchant a female. Alice and Esme had an instant bond with Bella, and Rosalie hated her with a passion, and had no real valid reasoning to explain it. It is entirely possible that gender doesn't matter." Jasper nodded his head, but seemed unconvinced.

"This plan had too many holes in it already, too many uncontrollable variables, Carlisle. To add another unknown element to it and still plow ahead is reckless," he said.

"We've got to try," Aro spoke, so quiet it was barely a whisper. He had confided in me that he felt responsible for this whole mess. If only he'd dealt with the Romanians all those years ago, we would not be here now. He'd underestimated their threat and was swimming in regret of that fact now. He was no happier than the rest of us about the idea of sending Bella into the lion's den, but he would feel personally responsible for the destruction of civilization if we didn't.

"Why? Why do we have to try?" Jasper yelled, standing up and starting to pace. "I've gone along with this, even though I have had my reservations, for lack of a better option, but this is ridiculous. I haven't felt this way since I stood beside Custer, and we all know how that turned out!"

"Jasper, try and calm down. I understand your concerns, and we value your sense of strategy, which is why we are coming to you. We need to figure out a way to make this work."

"Bella turning Maria to her side is not a viable option. Even on the off-chance her powers would work on Maria, it's not as though Maria would suddenly feel the urge to go shopping and paint each other's toenails. Bella's abilities do not seem to alter their personality at all, just their affinity towards her. Maria is power hungry, obsessive and a hundred times more possessive than Edward or myself. I will not allow Bella to be put into a position where Maria has even a remote chance of sinking her claws in her."

"Alright, so what do you suggest?"

Jasper sighed and sat back down. "We need to find out if Maria is just working with them from her territory in the states, or is physically stationed at their headquarters with them. We also need to know the exact nature of her relationship with them. Maria uses sex to control men, and she's damn good at it. It'll complicate things immensely if the situation is as dire as I'm imagining. I won't object to Bella testing her powers on females, but for use with the pawns only, not for Maria. I would strongly suggest her first test subjects be Heidi and Gianna, if they're willing, before we have more than one mutiny on our hands. Also, and I can't believe I'm saying this, God forgive me, but I think we need to go back to having Bella testing on humans who come 'for the tour.' We can't have another problem like the one with Francesco."

"Yes, well, that may work to our advantage. Still, Bella and I are going to have a conversation about the incident with Demetri. While I am thrilled at the empirical results, I'm sure she wasn't thinking about how it would affect Gianna. She can't abuse her power like that, not with the ones on our side."

"I agree completely, although I understand where Bella was coming from. Demetri was out of line. But we can't be worried about Gianna's feelings without taking into consideration everyone else's too, Carlisle. Have any of you really given any thought to what this is doing to Bella? How about to Edward? Felix and Kelly? Heidi? How about this new dude, Francesco? What kind of life is he going to have as a gold card member of the Bella Fan Club? Fuck...what about _me_? This is tearing me apart! I'm feeling and thinking all sorts of things I thought I'd managed to bury in the past twenty years, or at least got a helluva lot better at pretending they were buried. Thank God Edward is understanding about it, because Jesus, it took everything I had not to kiss her tonight at the club. Look at my eyes -- I killed for her tonight! This has destroyed any chance Heidi and I had of ever working through our 'Bella issues' as she calls them and having a real future together. You three are so focused on the final goal that you're not paying enough attention to the carnage it's reaping along the way."

"Well, when the final goal is the world as we know it, I think we are justified. That being said, I am painfully aware of the ramifications," I replied calmly, trying not to take his tirade personally. "There may be something to offer some reprieve. Bella's ability to alter Demetri's bond is causing Marcus to rethink some of his assumptions. He now thinks that, while the strength of the bond with Bella can only grow stronger with time, she may be able to focus her energy towards a new subject in such a way as to create the type of bond she wants. For example, she could choose to make someone love her as a sister, instead of be in love with her. We're talking about running when she's barely learning to walk right now, but hopefully she'll be able to exert that kind of control over her power soon. If that is indeed possible, you and Edward would not have to worry about any additional gold card members, just an army of Emmetts and Adrians." I thought my joke would at least garner a chuckle from him. No such luck.

"What about those of us who have already fallen under her spell? If she can turn up the dial on Demetri, wouldn't it make sense that she could dial down on some of us by the same token?"

"No, Marcus does not believe she will be able to downgrade already created bonds, simply manipulate new ones. I can find nothing to give me cause to disagree with him." I could feel him projecting his emotions, a tempest of so many powerful and contradictory emotions that I couldn't put them in words if I tried. It broke my heart. All of my 'children' were sacrificing so much of themselves for this mission. It was a larger burden than anyone should have to bear.

"Jasper," Aro touched his hand to get his attention, and probably to gain a little inside information. "Even if Bella could alter the part of your bond with her that is a direct result of her powers, it would not be as though you would suddenly only have platonic feelings for her. Your bond is based on a close, loving relationship that changed both of your lives. Altering her powers would not make that disappear for you. If you have 'Bella issues', you need to seek another avenue for dealing with them. My suggestion would be...acceptance. Edward has, for the most part, accepted this situation for what it is. That is how he is coping, and why he hasn't switched sides just so he can murder all of Bella's suitors." Jasper just nodded his head. Sensing that Jasper wasn't comfortable talking about this with Aro, I changed the subject.

"Alright, back to the matter at hand. Maria. I think that this might be a good mission for our new friend, Francesco," I said, trying to get us back on course.

"He's going to be a newborn, how is he going to be any help to us?"

"Well, for one thing, Francesco's exceptional ability to 'tail' your group was not a coincidence. Francesco has connections, and a unique set of skills he's learned from them. If we can get him past the newborn phase quickly, I'm confident he can make his way inside and get the information you seek."

"Connections?" Jasper asked, and Aro started chuckling.

"The Volturi are not the only powerful family in Italy, son."

After an extended conversation with Jasper detailing our plans for Francesco, Jasper concurred with our plan and headed back to his rooms. Aro excused himself as well. I decided I'd given Bella and Edward enough time. Taking a deep breath, I headed to their suite.

I knocked, and heard them rustling around for a few minutes before Bella opened the door.

"Hello, Bella. Do you think that we could take a walk?" Bella turned to look at Edward, who nodded with a small smile, before turning to me and smiling as she met me in the hall and closed the door behind her. We walked in silence until we were outside, far enough away that no one could hear us.

"Bella, how do you feel about what happened in there today?"

"Good, I guess. I mean, it's progress, right?" Bella said, but she didn't sound as though she was telling the whole story.

"Well, yes. But what I mean was, how do you feel about what happened with Demetri?" Her eyes got fiery again.

"I'm still a bit pissed at him. Francesco didn't need to die. I mean, really, it shouldn't have been that hard to lose him, or worst case knock him out or something. But Demetri was going to drain him dry just because he was irritated at him. Another death that I would ultimately be responsible for, and a preventable one at that. It was bullshit."

We found a large boulder by a babbling brook in the woods and sat down. "I get that. I do. You'd made your opinions about your test subjects wellbeing very clear and Demetri clearly ignored those wishes. But Bella, dear, do you really think that using your powers on him that way was the right way to handle it?"

"I wasn't even sure it would work, Carlisle. I was just so angry."

"But you had a feeling it would work, right? You intentionally tried to strengthen his feelings for you." Realization set in and Bella suddenly looked horrified.

"Yes," she whispered, hanging her head in shame. I rubbed her back and tried to comfort her.

"Bella, I'm thrilled you're gaining control of your abilities, but you have to remember to use them wisely. You have very strong opinions about Jasper using his abilities on people without their knowledge or permission, which is a good thing. You have taught him to recognize when he may be abusing his power. The line is fuzzier with you because of this mission, but don't lose sight of it altogether. You are being put in a position where you have to use your power on people without their knowledge or consent, but you still need to be conscious of the consequences of your actions. Demetri is now in love with you, and that will never change. There will be ramifications of that. Gianna is distraught right now, and understandably so. She has seen the pain Heidi has suffered because of Jasper's love for you, and is undoubtedly trying to decide whether or not she is willing to endure it for Demetri or if she is going to decide it is more than she can take and leave him. Regardless of his love for you, Demetri will be just as heartbroken as Gianna if she abandons him because of feelings for you that are entirely out of his control. And Edward now has yet another vampire who will be pining for you for all of eternity."

Bella looked up at me, pain in her eyes. "How do I protect Edward from this? You're right, maybe I shouldn't have enchanted Demetri that way, but isn't this what you all want from me? Did Gianna screen all our tourists to make sure they were single? How do you know Trevor wasn't married with two kids? You're all thrilled that I enchanted Francesco, that he's in love with me and so high on that chart. Has anyone asked him if he has...had...someone waiting for him at home? No? Didn't think so. What about Evan? You brought him to me like a lamb to the slaughter. You can't tell me Aro and Marcus didn't know he was married. I mean Christ, Carlisle, you want me to make men, human and vampire alike, fall in love with me so they're loyal to me and to our cause, in the hopes of stopping a war. What about how Edward feels about that? He's allowed to be upset about Demetri, but not about the hundreds of others yet to come that you condone? Don't you think that seems a bit hypocritical?"

I couldn't deny a single world she said. She had put me in my place, but good. I just nodded and took in all that she had said. Bella skipped a couple rocks on the water while we sat in silence.

"Bella, let's talk about the positive things about today. Do you realize that you altered an already existent bond?"

"No, I guess I hadn't thought of it that way."

"I'm not sure what that means for the future, but it definitely means the scope of your power is wider than we imagined." Bella huffed, not really excited with the prospect that she was even more powerful than we thought.

"I will make you a deal. I will take precautions to ensure that you won't test your powers on anybody who is committed to anyone in the future, although I can't promise that will be the case once you're undercover; that's just something we will all have to live with. But we will go back to practicing on tourists, both male and female," Bella looked at me, surprised, but didn't say anything. "I also want you to try and focus your power, try to not make them fall in love with you, but rather create the type of bond you created tonight with Evan, or the type of bond you have with Emmett and Adrian. Make them love you, adore you, willing to lay their life down for you. But don't make them in love with you, don't make them lust after you. Do you think you can try to do that for me?"

Bella thought about it for a moment and I could see the hope building. "Yes, I think I can do that! I need Jasper, though. I can't just make the strong emotions needed appear on cue."

"I'm sure Jasper will be more than happy to do that for you. It would be good, actually. We can experiment with different emotions, see if one works better than another or if a particular emotion creates a particular bond." Bella nodded and turned her attention back to the brook, once again lost in thought.

"Bella, there was something else I wanted to say to you."

"Yes, Carlisle?" she asked, turning back to me. I pulled her into my arms and hugged her tight, kissing the top of her head. "I'm so proud of you, my brave, beautiful daughter." I felt her smile against me as she hugged me back.

* * *

**A/N: **Admit it, when you saw the chapter title, you thought Bella had worked her mojo on Daddy C, didn't ya? So who's up for a Jasper/Edward Oreo cookie -- with you as the creamy filling in between?


	8. Heidi and Gianna

_**A/N:**_ Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. She's a lucky gal. The rest is mine. Thanks for respecting it. :) Thanks as always to changedbyEdward for the undercover beta'ing. I think you're practically a sniper by now. ;)

* * *

_**Chapter 7 - Jasper's POV**_

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, could it get much worse? After I left Carlisle, I headed for Alice and Adrian's suite. I really needed to talk to someone, and Alice would understand better than anyone, except maybe Bella, how I was feeling, what with Maria being added to the mix. Unfortunately, Gianna was still there with them and all the other girls, too, gathering from the swarm of emotions that came buzzing around me as I approached the door. Call me a coward, but I turned around and headed the other way.

I decided to go for a walk. Leave it to me to radar in on Bella's location and gravitate towards her, even when I wasn't even thinking about her. I got to the river just in time to catch the tail end of her conversation with Carlisle. Was it wrong that my chest puffed out and a smile came to my face when I heard her say she needed me?

After hugging Bella and wishing her goodnight, he left her sitting on the boulder and walked straight towards me. He didn't say anything, just put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed a bit as he walked by.

I watched Bella for a few minutes, her pale skin shimmering in the moonlight as she expertly skipped rocks across the creek. Her emotions were much calmer than I expected, and everything had an overlay of determination and acceptance.

Acceptance.

Aro's words rang in my head. I have never accepted the fact that I lost Bella, it's true. How can I, when I have no choice but to love her for eternity? And I couldn't say I was accepting of this situation, either. Regardless of the fact that Edward is her husband, she will always be my Bella, and I couldn't stand the idea of intentionally putting her in harm's way. Not to mention the fact that they were forcing her to create her own little harem.

I approached her slowly, sitting beside her so one arm and leg touched her own. She turned to me and smiled, but it was a sad smile. Still, I could tell she felt comforted by my presence. I picked up a rock, smoothed it with my fingers until it was just right, and skipped it all the way to the other side of the stream.

"Cheater."

I chuckled and smoothed out another one before handing it to her. She skipped it across the stream and it landed just a centimeter farther away from the water's edge than mine. We continued on this way in silence, each trying to outdo the other until we had built up a pile of pebbles on the other side. When we were done, I stood and held out my hand to her, which she took. I walked her to the door of their suite, kissed her forehead and walked away.

When I got back to my room, I found Heidi waiting for me.

"I would ask where you were, but it's unnecessary. I can smell her," she said quietly. Her voice held no malice, only resignation.

"It's not like that, Heidi."

"The problem is not what it actually is, Jasper. The problem is how you want it to be." I had no response, so I just hung my head and nodded in defeat.

"I understand. But you have to try and see it from my perspective. It's not something I have any control over."

"No, it's Bella's."

"That's not true. She had no control over it, either. It happened before any of us were even aware that she possessed special abilities. She was still human, for goodness sakes."

"She's aware of them now." I didn't like the hateful tone to her voice.

"Yes, she is. And she is trying to use them to save the world."

"Jasper, let me ask you a question. If you had a choice, would you choose to be...enchanted, as Aro puts it?"

"Would I have chosen it then, or would I choose it now?"

"Either. Both."

"Honestly, I don't know. I think I would have chosen it then. I know that hurts you to hear, and I'm sorry, but it's true. If I could make it disappear now, though, would I? Yes, I believe I would, as long as I could maintain the memory of the happiness she gave me when we were together." I walked directly in front of her, taking her gently by the shoulders and making her look at me. "But Heidi, you have to understand that I love you. Just as Demetri still cares for Gianna, and Felix still loves Kelly. I. Love. You. I want us to be together."

Heidi just shook her head, but didn't move out of my grasp. "You know, sometimes I wish Bella could work her magic on me, too. Maybe then I wouldn't be so resentful of all this. Maybe then I wouldn't wish I could hate her."

I chortled darkly. "Well, if that is your wish, it is one that Bella may well be able to grant." I explained to Heidi all about my conversation with Carlisle and Aro about the new developments and theories regarding Bella's power, and was shocked to find she was intensely determined to be Bella's first female victim.

"Me. I want her to try it on me. Have her make me like Alice. Alice was so understanding when this all began, much more so than I would be, or any other rational human being in love with their spouse, from what I understand. It had to have been Bella's powers. I want that. I want to be her best friend and be able to let my hostility go and be freed of these dark and painful emotions."

"I don't know if it will work, and even if it does, it might not have the desired effect." Unbidden images of Bella and Heidi hungrily exploring each others' bodies flashed through my mind. I must have given myself away with my expression, or perhaps the fact that I had to adjust myself, but Heidi connected all the dots rather quickly.

"Jasper Whitlock. You...you are a pervert!"

I wiggled my eyebrows at her luridly. "Never denied that."

Heidi huffed at me and stood to leave, but I could see the smile she was fighting to keep hidden. "That's it, I'm outta here." I grabbed her arm as she walked past me and swung her around so her chest was flush against mine. My hands anchored myself to her hips, dipping my head to kiss her and thankful she didn't pull away. She allowed me to deepen the kiss, caress her tongue with my own. I took a deep breath and was overwhelmed, the scent of wildflowers calling to me and reminding me that she was, indeed, my singer. She broke away when my needful moan broke the spell.

"I've got to go, Jasper. If I stay, it will lead to, you know, and as wonderful as I know that would be, I'm not willing to go down that path with you again. Not now. Maybe when this is all over, and Edward has whisked her away to somewhere without a cell phone tower or internet connection." I winced at the not-so-subtle reference to mine and Bella's near constant communication over the years.

Heidi kissed me on the cheek and opened the door, turning around just before she left. "Tell Bella I'm serious. I want her to try it on me. I'm going to talk to Gianna. She's angry right now, so I don't know how she'll feel, but there's a possibility she might want to do it, too." With that, my door closed and she was gone, yet again.

When we reconvened in the war room some time later, I was pleased to see that blasted chart was gone. I looked at Edward, throwing my glance towards where the chart used to be, then looking back at him questioningly. He just shrugged, doing a lousy job of hiding how excited he was that it was gone. "Carlisle said something about us all having photographic memory anyway and took it down. Bella wanted the honors of burning it. I believe they're in the courtyard now."

"Yup," Emmett said as he walked in. "I saw them when Rosie and I came back from hunting just now. I swear, if Bella was still human, she'd be roasting marshmallows over that fire right now."

Adrian and Alice walked in behind him. "It's about damn time," Adrian interjected. "That shit was pissing me off."

"Eloquently put, my friend," Felix replied.

Heidi walked in a moment later, followed by everyone else. Well, almost everyone. Gianna was nowhere to be found.

"Gianna is going on an extended fishing trip for us," Marcus explained. "With Bella's new request that all subjects be otherwise unattached, Gianna is having to spend a lot more time screening them. Plus, I think the time away will do her good."

Carlisle and Bella were the last to enter, both smelling delightfully of smoke. Bella smiled like a little girl on Christmas morning, a bounce in her step. Edward and I laughed at her, which she apparently didn't like.

"Oh come on, you can't tell me you two didn't want to rip it to shreds, too. I just beat you to it!" she teased.

"Agreed, love," Edward said, kissing her softly and putting his arm around her. He seemed much less stressed than the day before, and for that I was glad, even if I didn't want to think about the potential reasons for his stress relief.

Carlisle filled everyone in on the Maria situation. When he was done, Heidi stood up.

"Bella, try it on me."

Bella panicked. I took a hold of her hand and she turned to me. "I'll help you. You can do this. Think about how much you love Alice, and Adrian, and Emmett. Feel it deep in your heart." Bella closed her eyes and I could feel the love, it was almost warming up inside of her. I used my powers to grab on to those feelings and strengthen them. I focused all of my attention on that feeling, that one emotion.

"Now, Bella, do it now. You want Heidi to love you like that, like Alice does. You want it. Do it." Bella opened her eyes and stared intensely at Heidi. Everyone held their breath.

Nothing.

Bella sighed, her shoulders slumping. I leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Bella, try again. Please. Do it for me." She sat up straighter, squared her shoulders and focused on Heidi once more. I sent powerful waves of love and determination at Bella. I gave her my love for her, and I gave her my love for Heidi and prayed that my less-than-platonic feelings channeling through her didn't affect what type of bond Bella created.

"Yes," Marcus hissed and a moment later Heidi smiled, and Bella smiled back.

"It worked," Heidi said, obviously pleased. "It's as though she took every positive feeling I had for her and amplified it, pushing out every negative one in the process. Fascinating." Heidi considered for a moment before speaking again. "Bella, I owe you an apology. I have blamed you for things that I had no right to blame you for. Can you please forgive me? I want very much for us to be good friends." Heidi was so sincere, it was almost creepy, like she'd turned into a Stepford wife or something. But I could tell it was genuine, real. Heidi was calmer now than she'd been before, more at peace. And Bella had accomplished her goal. She'd created a bond with a female vampire, and she had had molded the bond to what she wanted it to be.

The next few weeks passed by quickly, with Bella enchanting most of the guard, and with only one exception, had managed to keep them from falling in love with her. Edward and I, all of us really, were beyond ecstatic at this new development. When Gianna returned from her fishing expedition, she quickly volunteered, and again, it was a successful bonding. Gianna, with newfound patience, welcomed Demetri back with open arms. Heidi was still unwilling to take that step with me, but at least her animosity towards Bella had disappeared.

Edward, Bella and I had gotten increasingly more comfortable around each other. Closer. We made a powerful team during these training sessions. Carlisle would choose a volunteer from the guard, and he or she would enter with a group of vampires, the idea being to test her aim. Edward would read their minds and tip Bella off as to who to focus her attention on. She would take my hand and I would amplify her emotions. It didn't take long before we were 100% accurate. She could tune in to the subject and create a bond in less than a minute. We were seamless.

Oddly enough, Bella had a harder time with the humans that Gianna had brought back than the vampires. I would hold her hand, or stand behind her and put my hands on her shoulders, and would funnel all the love I could into her, but it wouldn't work. Carlisle had me try other emotions. Anger seemed to work, if I built her up into a fury, but Bella hated it and the results were inconsistent. It was actually Emmett who figured out the problem. Bella didn't _want_ it to work on the humans. She didn't want to take them away from their lives, even if they were unattached. Marcus, Aro and Carlisle wanted to keep trying, but Edward and I convinced them that the enemy we were up against was vampire, not human, so it didn't matter. They reluctantly agreed and the matter was settled.

All too soon, it was decided that it was time to strike. Francesco had sent word that Maria was not at their research facility, but she had visited once or twice, and was expected to do so again sometime in the next month or two. The facility itself, he learned, moved from one location to the next every three months, and it was time to move again, this time to the heart of Siberia.

The plan was simple. Francesco would help us get in, then Edward, Bella, and I would approach the Romanians, telling them that we heard of their plan and were on their side. Bella would not enchant them at first. We needed to ensure that we knew everything there was to know, that Maria would be the last surprise we would encounter. Then, Bella would start enchanting their followers, starting at the low levels first, then their generals and commanders, and finally, when we were assured that no one would rise to take their place, Bella would enchant the Romanians.

It was a simple plan.

We should have known things are never that simple.

* * *

Hmmm...I'm in the mood...for a wrestling match with Emmett, naked, in a kiddie pool filled with chocolate syrup... What do ya think? Sound good?


	9. Velvet

_**A/N: **_Thank you to the magnanimous Stephenie Meyer for allowing us to dip our feet in her pool. Thank you to my readers for reading, reviewing, and respecting my work. :)

* * *

_**Edward's POV**_

One last night with family and friends before Bella, Jasper and I began our mission, cutting off all ties and going directly into the lion's den. Adrian and Emmett insisted on seeing a concert, some rapper named Velvet, saying he was 'the shit' and just what we needed to get our minds off things. The girls complained the whole way there, until he got on stage and then suddenly they changed their tune, shouting and waving at him like a lovesick girl front row at an Elvis concert. I raised my eyebrow at Adrian, silently asking him 'what the hell?' but he just shrugged at me and laughed, lifting Alice up onto his shoulders so she could get a better look. I just prayed she didn't flash him, or worse, get caught sparkling in the spotlights.

The guys had managed to get us backstage passes, and of course all the girls wanted their picture taken with him. I just rolled my eyes and played along. Whatever makes them happy, I suppose, but I didn't see what the big deal was. The guy was polite enough, smiling and posing for several pictures, but I picked up from his wife's thoughts that she could tell there was something 'not quite right' about us, so I thanked them for their time and shuffled us out of there quickly.

"That guy was _hot_!" Gianna giggled conspiratorially, holding onto Bella's arm as they laughed the whole way out of the stadium.

"I know! He looked a lot like how I imagine Edward would look if he were still human," Bella whispered, knowing full well I could hear her.

"I am MUCH better looking than that guy!" I protested.

"Of course you are, dear," Bella patronized me.

_At least she didn't enchant __**him**_, Jasper said in his thoughts, and I nodded my head in agreement. You'd think with all the money he makes, he could buy pants that fit properly.

"I don't know about the rapper, he was just alright, but his bodyguard...damn...he can frisk me anytime he wants," Rosalie piped in. Emmett pretended to be affronted and slapped her backside playfully. She just giggled and ran a few steps ahead of him to catch up with the rest of the girls.

The rest of the evening was peaceful. Everyone was doing a good job of not addressing the elephant in the room and just enjoying being together for the sake of it. At some point in the early hours of the morning, Jasper and Heidi disappeared together. Everyone's thoughts focused on it, but no one voiced them, knowing it was truly no one's business but theirs. Shortly before it was time to go, Jasper came back alone, his thoughts centered on the mission.

The next morning, the three of us hugged everyone one last time before heading out. Adrian was overtaken with emotion, hugging Bella for dear life. Finally Felix and Alice made him let go so we could get going. A few words of encouragement from Marcus and Carlisle and we left behind what had come to feel like a second home to us.

We took our time making the trek, changing vehicles a couple of times and then walking through several hundred miles of wilderness. The hardest part was changing our eye color to red. Carlisle, luckily, had the forethought to stockpile us bags of donated blood, which we forced ourselves to drink. It was difficult, but not for the reasons I'd anticipated. The blood, although human, was cold and stale. _Nasty_, Bella had called it, her ever-present nausea from her newborn days resurfacing, causing her to struggle to keep it down.

I was relieved that it did nothing to bring back the desire to hunt humans in Jasper or me, and Bella certainly wasn't going to develop a taste for it from drinking sterilized pints of type O. Still, it served the need. When we were about 50 miles away from the coordinates Francesco had given us, we dug a hole in the ground to bury the surplus bags and other essentials we didn't want the Romanians to know about.

Jasper took the opportunity to give us one last pep talk. "You ready, Bella? It's not too late, darlin'. We can still back out."

Bella shook her head. "No, I'm not ready. But we're doing it anyway," she said firmly.

Jasper sighed. "Alright. Then the only other thing I'm going to say is this. Once we're in there, we have to stay in character. No slip-ups. Edward, either you and I need to be with Bella at all times. I don't want her alone for a second, not even with Francesco. Trust no one but each other. From here on out, all we've got is each other. We need to stick together. It's the only way we have a chance of getting all of us out of here alive. And we _are_ all getting out of here alive."

Bella gave Jasper a hug. "Thank you for being here with us, Jazz. For me. I couldn't do it without you."

Jasper smiled warmly at her. "You're welcome, Bella." _I love you_. Jasper looked at me apologetically and I just smiled at him, hoping it wasn't coming across as rueful. Bella released him and he walked away to give us a moment's privacy.

Bella quickly fell into my arms and held me so tight I thought I might crack. "I love you, Edward. No matter what happens in there, always remember how much I love you."

I kissed her, then pulled her back in for another hug. "I love you, Bella. Please don't talk like that. Jasper's right, we're going to get through this together. We can do this. It's too important to fail. Just remember...you may be here to save the world, but Jasper and I...we're here to save _you_."

Bella nodded against my shoulder, and we stood that way a moment longer before I felt her body stiffen with resolve. It was time. We caught up with Jasper quickly. He was just standing there, and we weren't sure why until we got closer.

Here, in the middle of the Siberian wilds, we'd found what we were looking for. But it was not the single warehouse hooked up to a generator that we were expecting. No, this was a compound, practically a city, self-enclosed in a fence so high even a vampire couldn't jump it, and humming with an electrical charge that I had no doubt would hurt a hell of a lot worse than anything Jane ever did. There was one entrance, a gate with a vampire sentry to allow large trucks to come and go. We watched as one passed, and I could faintly pick up several heartbeats from inside the back of the truck. They were slow and sluggish, belonging to victims who had most likely been drugged. I shuddered at the thought, and Jasper chastised me.

"No, Edward. No fear. No sympathy. No mercy. You have to act like them, _react_ like them. Bury every precious moral you have deep within you. You can't give them any reason to doubt us." He looked to Bella to make sure she understood that he meant it for her, too. She swallowed thickly but nodded her head.

After the truck disappeared down one the many streets inside the compound, a single flash of light clicked on, then off, from the gatehouse in our direction. "Come on, that's our cue."

The sentry, it turned out, was Francesco.

"Bella," he said breathily when we approached. He stepped out to meet us, immediately pulling her into an awkward hug, his hands making themselves a little too comfortable for my liking. Jasper and I both held back our reactions. It would do us no good to kill the double agent. At least, not until our mission was over. Afterwards, I might be willing to reconsider.

Bella, for her part, hugged him back politely and smiled at him. I'm sure she was glad to see him doing well and obviously not blaming her for his transformation. His eyes blazed red, and it startled her a little when she pulled away from his hug and really looked at him for the first time.

"I know, it's hard to get used to for me, too, and I definitely don't like seeing your eyes this color. I liked the topaz so much better," he reached out his index finger and traced her high cheekbone. Bella took a step back away from him, smiling to reassure him when he looked hurt by it. "Anyway, I don't like it, but Aro assured me that it was the best way to go, both to keep my newborn instincts in check and to blend in here. And it's not like I had never killed anyone before I became a vampire. It's just a lot easier to clean up now." Memories of 'hits' flashed through his mind. Francesco wasn't just any Italian university student. He was mafia. No wonder Carlisle thought he was perfect for this mission! Leave it to Bella to enchant a hitman from the Italian mob.

"I've got a room in one of the main dormitories. That's where all the low level people are, support and patrol personnel, mostly. The scientists and higher ups have apartments in one of the other buildings."

"How many vampires and humans are here, Francesco?" Jasper asked, his voice falsely light and casual.

"About three hundred vamps, and an additional hundred humans who are working here. That doesn't count the humans that get shipped in almost daily to be lab rats. That number changes daily, depending on how long they last before one of the experiments kills them."

It bothered me how little Francesco seemed to be affected by this whole thing. As if reading my mind, he narrowed his eyes just slightly. "When you've lived the life that I have, you learn how to hide your true feelings, disengage yourself from your surroundings. It's a valuable skill in here." The second warning on the same subject in the past ten minutes. I was beginning to think a higher power was trying to tell me something.

"Anyway, like I was saying, I'm in that first building on your right with most of the other grunts. I'm working as a researcher's assistant, plus we all have shifts guarding the gate and doing patrols. You guys can make yourselves at home there. As soon as someone comes to relieve me, I'll show you around and start introducing you to people. Anyone sees you and asks, you're here with me." He handed Bella a key and reluctantly turned away from us to go back inside the sentry house. We followed his scent through the building to the room he had been occupying. It was, indeed, locked, which we found a little funny under the circumstances. Luckily, although we'd passed several vampires along the way, no one stopped to question us, although it occurred to a few of them that we must be new, that they'd never seen us before. They all seemed to be confident enough in the security that they assumed there was no way we could have gotten in unless we were allowed to be there.

Hanging around Francesco's room was a bit disconcerting, especially considering he knew we were coming. There was a pile of clothes on the floor in one corner, almost all of which were covered in blood. There was what Jasper considered an impressive weapon collection, ranging from guns to daggers and an ivory handled switchblade, along with rags and cleaning solutions for them. But what bothered me most were the sketches of Bella. Everywhere. Considering the fact that he was human when he last saw Bella, his sketches of her face were disturbingly accurate. There was also large nude of her tacked to the wall, and his imagination was close enough to the real thing to make me shake with rage. In the sketch, she was sprawled out over the same sofa it was displayed above, and looking at the viewer with a come hither look. Jasper was mentally cataloging all the different ways to kill him, giving priority to the ones which included prolonged torture first, when Bella took the picture off the wall and shredded it.

"Jesus. How many people do you think saw that drawing?" Bella asked. That thought hadn't even occurred to me. "So much for no one here knowing me. How are we going to explain that?!"

"Easy," Francesco replied as he walked into the room, his cockiness and arrogance just adding fuel to the fire, but it was only there a second before it was gone. His smile was only for Bella, and his voice dropped down to a whisper, cautious of the vicinity of others within hearing range, but also suddenly nervous about presenting Bella with his explanation and plan. "Only a few people have seen it, but I simply told them it was a drawing of my girlfriend. Why tell them any different?" He looked so hopeful and sincere that I almost felt sorry for him.

"No. Absolutely not," Bella replied. "There are so many things wrong with that idea that I can't even begin listing them off."

"I can," Jasper replied. I looked to Bella, who was intently staring at Francesco, her eyes slightly narrowed and her jaw tight. Jasper didn't notice, though, as he was too busy laying into our new friend. "First of all, you're _not_ her boyfriend. Never were. Never will be. I know that sucks for you, and I'm sorry about that, but that's the way it is. Get used to it. Second, you're a fucking newborn. You can't protect her half as well as Edward and I can, and if you love her as much as you seem to, you'll want to see her protected. Third, and possibly the most important, because you come within 10 feet of her with even the slightest hint of lust, and I _will_ kill you. Permanently, this time." If it weren't for the fact I was listening to his mental responses to Jasper's speech, I would have assumed he didn't even hear him. He was staring back at Bella quizzically.

Bella suddenly growled, throwing her hands in the air and turning her back to Jasper and Francesco.

"Bella?" I called to her, and when she turned to look at me, her features were so distorted with frustration that I ran to her, concerned. "What's wrong, love?"

"Marcus was right. I can turn it up, but I can't seem to turn it down or change it." I couldn't hide the joy I felt that Bella would try and do that, even if it didn't work. I kissed her forehead and mouthed a thank you against her ear. I turned back to Jasper and Francesco. Jasper was smirking at Francesco, who looked absolutely heartbroken.

"You would do that, Bella? You would take back the gift you've given me? Steal my love for you away from me that way? Why?"

"Because it will bring you nothing but heartache, and I don't want that for you." Bella stole a quick glance at Jasper before turning back to Francesco. "And because it has the potential to make the next weeks, or maybe even months, unnecessarily complicated."

Francesco shook his head vehemently. "No, Bella. Please don't. I love you, and to be honest with you, this is the first time I've ever put someone above myself. It's the first time I've wanted to make myself a better man for someone else. I'm not a man who has known love in his life, before you came into my world. My human life left no room for anything beyond one-night love affairs. But you, you make me see the world in a different light. My love for you makes me feel as though I can move mountains. It's given me the opportunity to be part of something important, and feel I can really contribute to something that is good and right. Please don't take that away from me."

Bella looked truly torn, but finally caved. "It didn't work, anyway, but as long as you promise to try and keep it in check, I won't try again."

Francesco smiled and reached out to hug her, but she shook her head at him. His arms dropped to his side, crestfallen but still more positive than he was a moment ago.

"Not right now, Francesco. Those pictures have me a little freaked out. What are we going to do about the people who've seen them, anyway?"

"Ex-boyfriend, maybe. Or we could always say he's in love with you, but it is unrequited," Jasper suggested, shrugging his shoulders. That was clearly his preference, both from a statistical and emotional standpoint.

"Ex-boyfriend, if you please. It affords me more dignity," Francesco said, adding a mental footnote. _And leaves me the opportunity to show her a bit of affection without raising suspicion. _Something in his emotions must have tipped Jasper off, because he picked up his list of ways to torture a vampire where he'd left off. _We could break his fingers off one by one and burn them with a match flame, nice and slow..._

* * *

**A/N**: Felix, mindful of my reviewers with allergies and wanting to pay homage to his homeland, has offered himself up...covered in fruit flavored gelatos for your reviewing pleasure.


	10. Rafael

_**A/N: **_Yes, yes, I know. I suck. Love me anyway? Thanks as always to changedbyEdward for the beta-on-the-fly. Oh, and you know which of this is mine and which belongs to the magnanimous SM, right?

Oh, and I was featured today at jaspersdarlins dot blogspot dot com. I wrote a review for Second Chances by aeriella1. Check it out!

_**Quick Recap**_: Bella, Edward, and Jasper have infiltrated the Romanian camp, hidden somewhere in Siberia, in the hopes of stopping their plans to destroy the Volturi and bring the vampire world out of hiding in a bid for world domination. Francesco, a member of the Italian mafia before Demetri bit him, was waiting for them on the inside. He's madly in love with Bella, to the point of hanging pornographic drawings of her on his wall, and is quickly getting on Jasper and Edward's bad side.

_**Jasper's POV**_

Did this jackoff really think I gave a rat's ass about his _dignity_? What about Bella's dignity? He certainly wasn't thinking about that when he let other people check out his pornographic sketches of Bella. _The minute Francesco's usefulness runs out, he's a dead man_.

Edward chuckled next to me and I was glad we were on the same page.

"Hey Francesco, they're looking for..." a dark skinned vampire paused in the doorway, staring luridly at Bella. _Fucking aye, I'm just going to have to massacre this entire freaking town, aren't I? _"You're Bella; you're the girl from the..."

"Yes," Bella cut him off from finishing that sentence. I watched as he glanced over the couch and could sense his disappointment that the picture was gone. "I'm Bella," she said, sounding as though she were having a hard time keeping calm herself. The vampire's attention turned back to her. "And you are?"

He appeared a step in front of her and took her hand into his, kissing her knuckles and smirking at her. "I'm Rafael, and let me just say that if you ever give up on Francesco, I would be happy to help you forget all about him."

Bella turned on the charm. "Oh, it's a little late for that," she said sweetly. "Francesco is my ex. I just couldn't deal with his God-_awful_ sketches anymore." Rafael laughed heartily and I could feel it as he became enchanted. He was in love. Another Gold Card member. I turned to Bella, wondering if that was her intention. From the look on her face as he reached up and cupped her cheek, it was not.

Bella took a large step backwards away from him, placing her securely between Edward and I and taking us both by the hand. "Let me introduce you to my husband, Edward, and my best friend, Jasper." Rafael looked back and forth between us, no doubt sizing up the competition. He wisely decided to back down.

"Very nice to meet you," he said as he extended his hand first to Edward, and then to me. "Bella, if you and your...companions...need anything while you are here, please don't hesitate to ask. Francesco spoke highly of you, and we have a lot of work ahead of us. We can use all the help we can get, and we're thankful you're on our side. Oh, Francesco, I just remembered what I came here for. Dr. Hart was looking for you. They got a new shipment in a couple hours ago and he needs some help getting them subdued and in their kennels." Thankfully, both Edward and Bella were able to hide their reactions.

"Actually, Rafael," I said, putting a false smile on my face. "Francesco was just going to show us around. Seeing as he's going to be busy for a while, would you do us the honors?"

Francesco's disappointment and Rafael's simultaneous enthusiasm made me chuckle. Bella looked at me curiously, but I just shook my head minutely. Later.

"Love to. Follow me." Francesco followed us out of the building, but then turned the opposite direction and disappeared. "So what do you want to see first? The lab? The mess hall? The library?"

Bella, of course, chose the only option of the three not ensured to involve bloodshed. To the library, we went. It was much more than a library. It was part library, part museum, and all propaganda. Every book was geared to incite hatred towards humans and to create a sense of superiority over them. They played on the difficulties of hiding what we are in human society, the cruelties and injustices our kind has suffered, or allegedly suffered, throughout history at the hands of humans. There were articles citing scientific studies that showed that, while vampires and humans share a large percentage of the same DNA, we are as vastly different from humans as they are to chimpanzees, on both an intellectual and a physical scale. They even went so far as to suggest that humans were not, in fact, sentient beings, but mindless animals who cannot feel love or pain the way that we do. My particular favorite was the one that suggested that because the humans lacked the intellectual skill necessary to think things through, they were destroying the planet with their mindless, wasteful ways to the point where they had become a blight on the Earth that must be exterminated 'in the wild.' It suggested that we could better protect them in a zoo-like environment, and that once the population was 'under control,' farms could be introduced to properly raise and 'milk' them, with strict breeding guidelines to be established to create the most diverse and biologically favorable gene pool.

I'd never seen Bella in such a hurry to escape a library.

The next few days flew by quickly. We learned our way around the compound and each secured positions within the compound; Bella, much to her chagrin, at the library, myself at the watchtower, and Edward in an administrative office. We were granted an apartment of our own, for which we were all extremely grateful, and had started getting down to the real work of making friends and influencing people. Surprisingly, it wasn't as abhorrent as we had expected it to be. The vast majority of the people we met seemed genuinely good, if extremely naive and misled, like Rafael. They honestly thought they were doing the right thing, participating in a righteous movement to save not just the vampire race but the world. We were very careful to only have Bella enchant one or two people every several days, and luckily, with the exception of Rafael, none of them had been struck by Cupid's arrow.

We hadn't been granted access to the lab yet, nor were we in a position to meet the ones in charge, but there was time for that, and we needed to be patient. Bella was having the hardest time with it, and it was all I could do to keep her emotions under control after she got off her shift each afternoon.

Today was no different. I was sitting in the shabby mustard yellow chair looking out the dirty window, strategizing our next few steps. I felt her pain before she ever made it inside the building and gritted my teeth against the powerful emotions lest they take me under with her. I couldn't let that happen. She needed me.

Bella burst through the door and was in my lap in an instant, her head buried in my neck as she tried to smother her sobs, which if we needed air would have been bordering on hyperventilating. She wrapped her arms almost painfully around my waist and held on for dear life.

"Bella? What's wrong, darlin'?" I whispered, not wanting our voices to carry through the paper thin walls.

"It's just...awful! There were two...researchers...hmph...from the lab there today. They were flipping through medical journals and talking about their 'progress.' Apparently, they consider an experiment a success if five humans out of a hundred survive. Five!" she whisper-shouted into the crook of my neck. "They didn't even bother to change out of their blood-stained lab coats. They were so freaking nonchalant about the whole thing, you'd have thought they were talking about the weather. They don't even know their names, they just give them numbers."

I wrapped my arms around her, ran my hands up and down her back repeatedly and kissed the top of her head. "I know, baby. It's awful. But that's why we're here. That's why what we are doing is so important. The most important thing we've ever done. Try and focus on that. Did you talk to them at all?" She knew what I was asking.

"No. I was too repulsed. It didn't even cross my mind to try. I was just focused on keeping my mouth shut and hiding my emotions the way you taught me."

"It's alright. There will be other opportunities. You've already accomplished more than I thought you would in such a short time. It'll happen." I tucked my knuckle under her chin and tilted her head up to look at me, raising an eyebrow at her. Even after all this time, we didn't need words to communicate. Bella nodded at me and tucked her head back in my neck, sighing gratefully as I sent wave after wave of calm and contentment through her.

Edward came in a moment later, stopping just inside the door to take in the scene in front of him. His emotions were only slightly more in control than hers were and I wondered what he had uncovered. "Later," he whispered, shooting a quick glance at Bella. He clearly didn't want to upset her further. Edward bent down and kissed her on her temple and her head shot up, so closed off she hadn't even heard him approach. He smiled at her comfortingly, rubbing her shoulder for a moment and kissing her chastely before throwing himself down on the couch next to us. "Hey Jazz? Think I can get a shot of that?" I expanded the bubble of calm and Edward sighed in much the same way as Bella had. I had to chuckle.

"Hey, who the hell is going to calm _me_ down, huh?" I teased.

Edward lifted his head minutely and with a completely straight face replied, "I'm pretty sure my wife is doing that right now, isn't she?" He smirked at my dropped jaw in good humor before dropping his head back down and throwing his arm over his eyes. "Jesus, this sucks."

Bella sat up then, regarding Edward a little warily for a second before kissing my cheek and climbing off my lap. I resisted the urge to tap her on the ass as she stood up. She sat next to him and his arms were immediately around her, pulling her flush on top of him almost desperately. I stood up and headed for the door, prepared to give them some time alone when Edward stopped me.

"No, Jazz. Don't. The three of us need to talk. There's been a development."

I heard the sound of a chair sliding along the floor from the adjacent apartment and shook my head at him.

"No, Edward. Not right now," I said in a normal tone of voice. "I'm not in the mood to talk." _Meet me at the gate at midnight._

Luckily, I had a shift at the gate that night, so it was relatively easy to sneak Edward and Bella out, promising to meet them at the spot where we'd buried our supplies as soon as I could. When I arrived, I could tell they had hunted and burned off some stress in other ways, for which I was both grateful and unbearably jealous, in more ways than one. My thoughts briefly drifted to Heidi, but I forced them away. It would do me no good to entertain those thoughts right now.

Edward eyed me sympathetically and tossed me a blood bag that was now only about a third of the way full and I cringed before emptying it. It tasted awful, but was a necessary evil to keep up the ruse.

"Okay, what's going on?"

"Rafael and Francesco came to see me today. Said they wanted my advice in acquiring new test subjects. Apparently, most of the humans they bring in to this point have been bought from the human trafficking trade, but they've overused those routes and their vendors are starting to get suspicious, so they have to find other means." I sensed his hesitation.

"There's more."

Edward sighed and nodded his head. "Yes. Apparently they are not having the success they hoped for in terms of increasing blood replenishment and such. They think that perhaps the key is testing on younger and therefore stronger specimens."

"Children," Bella said.

"Yes, in part. But it's worse than that. They want to impregnate women with genetically altered embryos. They want help setting up what they called a recruitment program, luring in down on their luck females under the pretense of being well-paid surrogates."

"How long do they expect to take setting up these recruitment centers?"

"Sixty days. Just long enough to move to their next base of operations."

"Any idea where that's going to be?"

"No, just that it's going to be somewhere in the U.S., and they want recruitment centers in every major city from coast to coast."

"Well, then, we have no time to lose. We are going to have to step things up a bit. Edward, I know it's hard, but really, this is excellent news. They are starting to trust you. Help them, make yourself invaluable to them. Try not to worry, if everything goes according to plan, and it will, then all you will have helped create will be a multitude of empty offices."


	11. Dr Lee

**_Disclaimer: _**You know what's mine and what isn't. Thank you for respecting both. :)

_**A/N:**_ Thanks as always to changedbyEdward for beta'ing. More than Romeo, bb. And THANKS to all my wonderful readers who were so kind to me with their reviews last chapter! I'm sorry I kept you waiting, but I was honored to find you still cared. :)

_**Edward's POV**_

It was strange, the odd camaraderie that Jasper had formed with Bella and I since we began this kamikaze mission. It was obvious to me that Jasper was still every bit as in love with Bella as he was when he first fell under her spell. I had told him not to bother trying to hide it, and he didn't. His every action, all his internal planning and strategizing focused around Bella; her safety, her well being, her happiness. He was concerned for me, of course, as well, as his brother, his friend, the love of his love's life. He was worried about the future of the world as we knew it, too. But he made no qualms that the most important thing was Bella.

It was only in rare, quiet moments, when he was lost in his own thoughts, that he would think of Heidi.

It was impossible to deny while watching Bella curled up in his arms, accepting the type of comfort that only he could offer her, that there was a part of her that still loved him, too. She felt nothing for her other followers, other than pity and a profound sense of responsibility towards them, so I couldn't blame it on her powers. There was a part of her heart that would always belong to Jasper.

But that wasn't the strange part. The strange part was that I felt no jealousy in it, no burning rage, no possessiveness. In fact, there was a comforting familiarity that had developed between the three of us, an unspoken understanding. Bella loved me as I loved her. She was my soulmate, my spouse, my everything. And I was hers. Jasper was not a threat to us, and as I came to understand that, I was able to accept what I had previously viewed as their too-close relationship, let go of my irrational need to keep space between them. I had no reason to be insecure any longer, and releasing that allowed me to let Jasper into our hearts and our lives in a way we hadn't been able to do since before their relationship began. It was a good thing for all of us. We couldn't afford unnecessary strife and drama in our situation. Besides, Bella literally had the weight of the world on her shoulders. Any assistance I could get from Jasper to keep her from collapsing under that weight was welcome. Not only that, but he would gladly help me kill any of these other love sick bastards in the blink of an eye, and that was good, too.

Still, I couldn't deny that it felt life-affirmingly wonderful when Bella got off his lap and came to me the moment she saw my distress. I clung to her, needing to drown myself in everything Bella, but Jasper's downtrodden thoughts as he stood to leave, giving us our space, hurt me somehow. I know how I would feel if the situation were reversed. Not that I felt bad about our display of affection in front of him. After all, she had been curled up in his lap with his hands running up and down her spine just a few minutes before. Still, I didn't want him to be uncomfortable.

It worked out all the better this way. Jasper successfully snuck us out of the compound, and we wasted no time hunting, knowing we had a limited amount of time before we had to meet Jasper at our designated spot. We gorged ourselves probably more than we should have, especially knowing that we were going to have to down some human blood before we returned, but the chase, the release of the hunt felt good.

Not as good as the release when Bella attacked me after we drank. The way she knocked me to the ground and voraciously engulfed me in her mouth, oh God, I get hard just thinking about it. She was animalistic and desperate and wild and it was just what we needed. After she swallowed my venom with a smile, she scooted up to straddle my legs and proceeded to ride me. Hard. I laid there watching helplessly while she took her own pleasure, touching herself everywhere as she set a blistering pace above me. She pounded away every fear, every sorrow, every horror with our joining, eventually bracing her hands against my chest, scraping her fingers across my nipples as she leaned forward and sped up even further.

"Fuck, Edward...yes!" I grabbed her hips and slammed her down as I thrust upwards, keeping myself buried in her as her orgasm squeezed me and demanded my own in return.

Afterwards, Bella collapsed against me, and I was thankful we weren't human, because I was quite certain we would both be sweaty and foul smelling by this point.

"Bella, love...I feel used," I teased her playfully.

"And you loved every minute of it," she mumbled against my neck, not falling for it for a second. I laughed and tickled her sides.

"Indeed I did." I heard Jasper's thoughts in the distance and lifted her off of me, tossing her her clothes, which were remarkably in one piece. I hadn't actually shed any of mine, making it significantly easier to just tuck myself in and zip up. Bella scowled at that injustice. Still, she managed to get dressed and settled quickly, and we even had time to take our shares from the bag of donated Type O before he arrived. I'm certain he took his time.

I could hear his brief struggle with jealousy in his thoughts. It momentarily angered me; I wasn't jealous of him, what right did he have to be jealous of me? But then I heard his thoughts drift to missing Heidi and his belief that he would never again have the type of relationship that Bella and I shared. I couldn't help but feel bad for him. He'd had three loves in his life, and he'd lost them all. Well, not really. Every one of those women still loved him, and Heidi was still more in love with him than she would ever admit. But that didn't keep his bed from being cold at night. Metaphorically speaking, of course. Still, despite those shadows and the darkness all around us, like us, he seemed happier than he'd been in a long time. It was odd, surrounded by such atrocity as we have ever known, to find peace and contentment in each other's company.

We quickly went over the latest developments and came up with a plan on how to proceed. Not one I was happy about, mind you. I didn't trust Francesco as far as I could throw him. That thought took me on a pleasant tangent where I envisioned javelin tossing that fucker from here to Timbuktu, but I digress.

Rafael seemed like a good guy. He was in love with Bella, no doubt, but he had a strong moral sense and wasn't about to go 'stomping on someone else's daisies' as he had rationalized to himself. Not that he had a snowball's chance in hell, but still, it's the thought that counts, as they say. He tried hard to not to make up excuses to see Bella, or even think of her, despite the fact that he knew nothing of my ability, and for that, he was alright in my book. He was brainwashed, though, young and impressionable as he was, and it made me wary if even his love for Bella and his friendship with me could keep him from turning on us when the moment came to choose.

Over the next week, I spent a lot of time with the two of them and found that Francesco really had nothing else he could offer us by means of support. He was a low ranking member, a grunt and nothing more. Rafael was more trusted in the organization and so I focused my efforts with him. Together, we created a proposal that we were scheduled to submit to the Romanians themselves in three short days. We had scoured the U.S. real estate market, searching for appropriately fortifiable locations near homeless shelters and abortion clinics. In the end, we'd found twenty 'promising' sites and had laid the groundwork for security and paying off local officials. It sickened me, and I was encouraged to see from Rafael's thoughts that it sickened him, too.

Bella had made some progress as well. She had been summoned to the lab to deliver some medical journals to a Dr. Hayato Lee, a vampire who was not much more than a newborn, but had been world renowned before his death for his work in Japan on stem-cell research. By all accounts, his transformation had been incredibly smooth, possibly even smoother than Bella's. Apparently, the liberty to conduct his experiments free from the ethical limitations human society placed on him was all the motivation he needed to regain his mental focus. He was quite taken with Bella, even before she worked her magic on him and his comrades, and soon after she was making daily deliveries. Sometimes he only requested the newspaper, making it painfully obvious that it was her company he desired more than the research materials.

"He scares me, Edward," she whispered to me one night. "The whole place scares me."

"I'm sure it's quite horrific," I replied, envisioning a medieval dungeon of vampiric proportion.

"That's just it," she shivered involuntarily. "It's _not_. It's bright, and clean, and antiseptic. Hospitals aren't that well kept. The humans are kenneled like dogs in shiny steel cages and fed measured portions of food in shiny steel bowls. They have shock collars around their necks that activate anytime they try to speak, which are only removed when they are being bathed or questioned, so it's really quiet. The human test subjects don't have names, only numbers. Dr. Lee says that is to assist the lab workers in not getting attached. Today he had me doing data entry for him on his latest round of experiments. I don't know what all the numbers meant, but all the ones with a zero, and there were a lot of them, had to be tagged in red. I searched for a couple of those people in the kennels, but couldn't find any of them. I'm pretty sure they didn't survive."

"We knew this was happening. It's just becoming more real for us now. As hard as it is, we have to try and disassociate ourselves from it for just a little while longer. It's probably better we don't know their names." Bella nodded her head, not at all comforted by that. I tried distraction instead. "Have you hooked any new followers today?"

"Yes. Today I enchanted the last of the assistants. That should be everyone in that building."

"That's excellent news. Anything I should know?" She knew what I meant. Were any of them crazed, like James had been? Any new gold card members? Basically, was there anybody I was going to need to kill anytime soon.

"No. Just your run of the mill 'all hail to Bella' nonsense. Dr. Lee seems fixated with me, although I swear my powers had nothing to do with it. He wants me to transfer from the library to the lab. Do you think I should?"

"I'm not sure. On one hand, there may be a better chance of meeting the higher ups that way. On the other hand, there's no one left there to turn, so you might be better off where you are. Let's see what Jazz says when he gets back."

Jasper had been sent on a reconnaissance mission to gather intelligence on the Volturi and report back. His instincts told him that this sudden promotion was due to his presence becoming known to Maria. It was a test, both of the strategic skills Maria doubtlessly touted to them, and of his loyalty in light of how he had turned on her in the past. The only problem was, he was supposed to be back hours ago and I would be lying if I said we weren't more than a little worried.

_**I was bereft in my dessert making duties last chapter...hmmm...how about some Naked Carlisle Creme Brulee? Don't worry, I was extra careful with the flame. ;)**_


	12. The Major

_**Disclaimer: **_Y'all know what's mine and what's not, right? Cool? Thanks!

_**A/N: **_Thanks as always to changedbyEdward for the superfast beta'ing. Hang on tight, folks. The roller coaster ride is about to begin. Please keep your arms, legs, and tongues inside the cart until it comes to a full and complete stop. ;)

* * *

_**JASPER'S POV**_

"Carlisle, it's Jasper. We're going to need a sacrifice." There was no other way to put it. We couldn't let the Romanians find out whose side we were really on, not when we had so much at stake. Not when Edward, Bella and I had come so far. My heart clenched as I thought of Edward and Bella and how much I missed them both, but I shoved it aside. It would do me no good right now to be pining over Bella. Just like it was doing me no good to keep thinking about the fact that Heidi was just on the other side of these stone walls.

"They need to know they can trust me. I've got to give them something, and something good. And to do that, someone is going to need to die." We were on the phone, but I didn't need to see Carlisle's face to know how abhorrent he was to the idea. Pragmatics was never his strong suit. "Talk to Aro, get a volunteer. Preferably two, to be honest. Call me back when you know who, and I'll give you the when and where." I hung up the phone without further debate. I was taking a chance even calling him in the first place. I took to my hiding spot high in the treetops overlooking Volterra castle and settled in for the night. It was more for show than anything. I might not have been able to see who was following me, but I knew they were there.

The plan was simple. Follow whoever the volunteers were, collect my 'intelligence', letting the scouts who were following me see I was doing as I was asked, then leave. I would give the names and the false information to the Romanians. I knew I was going to be feeding whoever it was to the wolves. I just didn't count on Gianna and Demetri being the ones to do it. And I didn't expect it to happen quite so fast.

After the scene was set, I slipped into position in the shadows. I could still feel the presence of whatever cronie they had tailing me. They weren't close enough to give me any indication of what they were feeling. They were just barely close enough that I could tell they were there. It was almost as if they knew how far away they needed to be to elude me. It was beyond frustrating.

Gianna stepped into the street just outside the city walls, where Demetri was already staged and waiting for her. My heart caught in my throat. She, like so many others in the Volturi, had become like family to us. What were they thinking? It was supposed to be a minor player, a pawn. Preferably a newborn that none of us had a vested interest in.

"Do you have the information I need?" he asked, his expression not showing an ounce of the fear coursing through him. He couldn't quite hide the love in his eyes for Gianna, however.

"Yes," she replied, not doing nearly as good an acting job. She was actually shaking when she handed him a folded piece of paper.

Demetri opened the paper, gave it a cursory glance and then folded it back up. "This is just what we've been hoping for. You did well."

Suddenly, the other vampire appeared directly behind me, whispering in my ear, and a chill of terror ran through me. This was no cronie.

It was Maria.

Fuck.

"I'll take the guy, you take the girl. I remember how you like to play..." she whispered in my ear in a voice I might once have found seductive, then rushed at Demetri before I could even process her movements.

In my mind, time slowed to a near standstill after that. I watched in horror as Maria ripped one of his arms from its socket, tossing it at his feet before twisting his other arm behind his back as she stood behind him, her other hand wrapped securely around his throat. I saw rather than heard Gianna scream, looking first at Maria, then in the direction from which she came. At me. And I knew what I had to do.

_Gianna, forgive me, my friend._

I pounced, knocking her to the ground, straddling her chest and pinning her forearms under my knees, wincing at the look of betrayal on her face just before I twisted her head off her body as quickly and painlessly as possible. I didn't allow myself to react when I heard Demetri's wrenching sob that abruptly ended as Maria followed my lead. I silently prayed for them as I unceremoniously dumped their body parts into a public garbage can and set them aflame. I held my breath as the noxious purple fumes overtook me.

"Well, that wasn't quite like old times, it was over much too quickly. But still, it did my heart good to see you back in true form, Major." My stomach clenched at her twisted term of endearment, but I put a smirk on my face anyway and slowly turned to her, grabbing her wrist and pulling her flush against my body. She always liked it rough.

"What's a pretty lady like you doing in a dark alley like this?" I whispered in her ear.

"Just came to watch the show," she whispered back, running her fingers up and down my spine.

I wanted to snap them off one by one and add them to the flames.

"Come on, let's get out of here before we get company." Maria kissed me on the cheek and wrapped her arm around my waist. I forced myself to reciprocate, my fingers settled low on her hip as we started to walk out of the alley.

Of course, Murphy's fucking law, that's when Heidi showed up, running around the corner, stopping dead in her tracks and slack jawed when she took in the scene before her. God only knows what the hell she was doing there. Perhaps she saw the smoke. I had no idea. I just knew I had to protect her before Maria struck again. Could I really let Maria kill Heidi, even if it meant saving the world? Absolutely not. My mind ran through several scenarios, and unfortunately the one most likely to succeed was also the one most likely to break her, maybe permanently. If I hadn't lost her already, I was sure to after this.

I bent down and kissed Maria, not objecting when her serpent tongue slid between my lips. I reached down and squeezed her ass, making her squeal in delight.

I turned to Heidi and laughed at her shocked expression, pulling Maria a little tighter to my side. Not out of affection, but in restraint. Not that either of them knew the difference. "Tell your masters that the Resistance is coming for them," I sneered. As predicted, Maria relaxed a bit then. She wasn't going to kill Heidi if she could serve some useful purpose to us, and I had just given her a purpose.

Not that she'd moved a muscle. I braced myself, preparing to do more damage with the words that would hopefully send her packing and keep her from being added to the pyre, but Maria beat me to it.

"Run along now," Maria said, her voice a perfect imitation of Scarlet O'Hara. Heidi's pain was written all over her face, and I took a chance making eye contact with her, trying to beg her with a look to please, please comprehend this is all an act. _Realize I'm trying to save your life here, my love. _

Finally, thank God, she turned and ran away, although the pain in her eyes made it clear that she had fallen for my ruse just as easily as Maria had.

The trip back was short, thankfully, even with Maria's constant attentions. I couldn't bear to think about Heidi, or Gianna and Demetri. I focused on about getting back to Edward and Bella. I wanted to go hunting with them, tell them what happened so we could mourn together. I needed the comfort that only Bella could give me. But it was not that simple. As soon as we were inside the compound walls, Maria took me with her to report directly back to Stefan and Vladimir and their generals about the success of my mission. She recounted with pride how I'd killed Gianna. The Romanians were more than pleased.

So pleased, in fact, that they offered me a reward. A young, terrified, warm blooded reward_. Is this nightmare ever going to end? _I tried to politely refuse, claiming to have fed recently, but they wouldn't hear of it. I had no choice.

Maria had the young woman by the elbow, half leading, half dragging her across the room, holding her out to me like a precious gift. I thanked her with a kiss, stifling my gag reflex, then turned to the girl and forced myself to do what I had to, praying to God I didn't lose myself. I took the young girl in my arms possessively, pulling her away from Maria. Maria was glib about my enthusiasm, and stepped back to allow me to enjoy my feast. It was better for the girl this way. Maria wasn't known to care about how much pain her victims were in while they were drained, and I remembered all too well how Maria enjoyed sharing our meals together. It was foreplay to her.

I sent the girl every calming, numbing emotion I could think of to dull her pain and my own as I kissed her cheek, thanking her for her sacrifice before biting into her neck. It was heavenly, don't get me wrong, but not as good as I remembered from my past. Not enough to make it worth taking a life. Still, I drank, moaning in pleasure for the ears of my spectators, who smiled indulgently. In a moment, her life was cut short as her blood fueled me. And then she was gone.

The emotions were getting to me, the horrors of the last few days overpowering my common sense and I panicked when Maria took two steps closer to me again, that sick smile of hers plastered on her face. I made what could have been a critical error. I turned and ran.

By some miracle of miracles, the first person I saw as I ran down the street was Bella, her arms laden with books of some kind. She dropped them on the street forgotten as I swept her up into my arms, buried my head in the crook of her neck and cried.

_**Edward's POV**_

One day. Then two. Then three since Jasper was supposed to be back. I was beginning to get concerned, and Bella was beside herself with worry. I'd convinced her to give him one more day and then we would find an excuse to leave and look for him. Until then, it was important we keep up appearances, so I kissed Bella goodbye as she headed to her shift at the library and I headed to meet Francesco. He and I were to meet with Rafael to over the final details of our proposal before our presentation to their superiors.

As soon as I entered his apartment, he slammed his sketch book closed. I saw in his mind the filthy picture he had drawn of Bella. I closed my eyes and clenched the bridge of my nose, repeating 'do not kill him' over and over again in my mind until I gained some semblance of control. I couldn't let him know I could read his mind.

"Headache?" he joked as he stood to meet me at the door.

"Something like that," I muttered, turning to follow him into the hall.

I heard Jasper's thoughts screaming at me long before we rounded the corner. He was in such complete and utter agony, his thoughts were completely disjointed, flashes of images like a movie montage on fast forward, making me feel almost nauseous. It was paralyzingly painful. Nothing really made sense to me until the images disappeared and his mind cleared with one relieved word.

_Bella_.

As Francesco and I rounded the corner, I watched as Bella dropped her stack of books and Jasper ran to her, lifting her off the ground and holding her to him much the way a toddler holds a teddy bear close when the world around them gets too much to handle. She buried her fingers in his hair and held her to him as he nuzzled his nose into the crook of her neck. He was repeating her name in his mind like a prayer. He kissed his way up her jaw before hugging her again. They were both so completely lost in his anguish that they didn't even sense us approach.

Francesco looked at me, expecting some sort of reaction, hoping in some twisted way that I was about to kill Jasper in a rage of jealousy, thus eliminating half his competition. When I didn't move, he got confused, his head moving back and forth like he was watching a tennis tournament for a moment before speaking.

"What's the deal?" he asked as Bella took Jasper's face in her hands and whispered his name, trying to get him to look at her while he shook his head and struggled to bury his head in her neck again. "You guys have an open marriage or something?"

"Or something," I replied noncommittally, trying to figure out how to get rid of Francesco so I could get to them and help Bella get Jasper off the street and somewhere private where we could find out what the hell had happened to him.

"Can I join in?" he asked, his mind assaulting me with images of me lying on my back while Bella knelt above me, riding me. Jasper's knees were by my ears as he held her head in his hands and fucked her mouth while Francesco was on his knees between mine and grasping Bella's hips, savagely fucking her ass.

Needless to say, I came unglued.

"Jasper is the only man who will ever touch my Bella besides me." The low, deadly snarl that came from my throat seconds before I pounced Francesco startled Jasper and Bella, who turned, shocked, to watch as I tore Francesco to pieces by the mouthful, ripping him apart with my hands and teeth before he could even think to scream for help.

It felt good.

When I was done, I turned back to Jasper and Bella, who hadn't moved a muscle. It was probably another ten seconds or more before Jasper was able to think clearly.

_Damn. I wanted to be the one who got to do that._

I started laughing despite the situation, and without a word the three of us quickly gathered up the pieces. Luckily, we weren't far from the incinerator that ran all hours of the day for disposing of the humans' bodies, and by some miracle, we were able to toss Francesco in and escape without getting caught.

I used my gift to make sure we weren't seen as we headed back to our apartment. Jasper was still almost comatose. Bella wrapped one arm around his waist and held my hand with the other as I led us back, anxious for answers.

Those answers wouldn't be so quick in coming, however. When we got to our apartment, we had company.

"Hey bro! Miss us?" Emmett asked with a shit-eating grin on his face as he bounced on the balls of his feet waiting for us to get inside so he could give Bella a hug. Beside him, Adrian was only slightly calmer, looking very proud of himself.

"We're your new recruits!"

* * *

**_A/N:_** Naked Cullen Boy dessert du joir - a Jasper Peanut Buster Parfait! If you're not lucky enough to have a Dairy Queen near you, it is a vanilla soft serve, hot fudge and peanuts mountain of goodness! The perfect combination of sweet and salt. I'm wondering how many licks it would take to uncover the Jasper-y goodness hidden beneath that fudge!


	13. Jasper

_**Disclaimer:**_ Edward = Stephenie Meyer's. Jasper = Mine. Not really, but I can dream, can't I?

_**A/N**_: Had an interesting question in a review - is the Maria in the movie my mental Maria? Ironically, she is EXACTLY my mental Maria, even though I wrote the last chapter before I saw Eclipse. Another interesting question - how much longer do I plan on torturing Jazz? Not much longer. Keep in mind I wrote this story because I felt like I owed it to Jazz... That being said, plan on biting your knuckles, or maybe grabbing some tissues for this one...

* * *

_**Edward's POV**_

Bella released Jasper without a second thought and ran to hug Emmett, who picked her up and hugged her until she squealed. Jasper started violently shaking the moment Bella released him.

"Bella," I whispered, but she was distracted by Adrian, who was currently spinning her above his head, his thoughts filled with joy that she was alive and well.

Jasper's thoughts, however, were steadily deteriorating, flashes from his past in the south, flashes of Alice, of Bella, of Heidi mingled with flashes that I could only assume had happened on his trip tore at his sanity. He wrapped his arms around himself, vibrating. I grabbed his forearms and tried to shake him a little to snap him out of it, but he only got worse until it would have appeared to the outside observer that he was having a seizure.

"Bella?" I said a little louder. Her head whipped around to look at us.

"Oh my God!" She ran back to us and without a conscious thought, Jasper's arms extended to get me to release him. He grabbed Bella by the wrists and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her tightly and nuzzling into her neck, inhaling deeply.

"Bella...Bella...Bella..." Jasper chanted, his body slowly stopping its shuddering and his mind all but shut down into what must have felt like peaceful oblivion to him. It was certainly how it felt to me when his mind ceased attacking us both.

"Wow, he's worse than we thought," Emmett muttered.

"Huh?" I had no clue what he was talking about.

"Come on, let's go for a walk and we'll fill you in on what we know. Hopefully by the time we get back, Bella will be able to calm him down enough to tell us the rest."

I got Bella's attention and shifted my line of sight from her to the couch and back to let her know my intention. When she nodded, I put my hand in between Jasper's shoulder blades and gently pushed, while Bella took a step backwards. As soon as she did, Jasper stepped forward to close the distance between them, as if he couldn't bear an ounce of space. We repeated the process until we had led him to the couch and sat him down. He immediately tugged Bella sideways into his lap, alternately running his nose along her jaw and kissing her neck. Not one single coherent thought ran through his mind. He was functioning purely on instinct. Panicked, Bella looked up at me, not having a clue what to do.

I bent down and kissed her forehead. "I'm going to go with Emmett and Adrian for a bit, see if I can figure out what the hell is going on. Will you be alright here with Jasper?"

"Bella..." he begged, squeezing her tighter, as if some part of his subconscious could hear us and was afraid she'd leave, and returned to kissing and suckling her neck.

"Yes..." she replied, hesitantly wrapping her arms around him like a mother would. I knew what she was afraid of. I was afraid, too. How far would Jasper push in this state, how much would he need, and was it more than Bella or I was willing to give? For my part, I didn't have those answers. I wasn't sure how to feel about the intimate sight before me, especially considering the fractured state Jasper was in.

"Do what you can to help him. It seems you're the only one who can," I replied noncommittally, and Bella nodded, only slightly mollified that I wasn't blaming her, or him for that matter, for what he was doing.

"Come on." Adrian tugged at the hem of my sleeve. "We really need to talk."

I kissed Bella's forehead again, put my hand on Jasper's shoulder, wishing I could do something more to help him other than offer up my wife as his security blanket, and followed Emmett and Adrian out the door without another word.

Luckily, a friend of Rafael's was at the gate, and he allowed us to leave the compound without much trouble. Once we were well out of hearing range and sure we weren't going to be followed, we sat down on a couple of boulders in the forest. "Not that I'm not glad to see you both, but what the hell?"

"Heidi," Emmett replied. "She thinks Jasper is in trouble. It seems she was more right than she realized."

"What would make Heidi think he was in trouble?"

"Dude, it was bad. Jasper told Carlisle he needed a sacrifice, someone to offer up as a target to the Romanians to prove he was truly on their side. Demetri insisted on being the one to do it, and Gianna refused to let him do it alone. They were just supposed to stage a scene so Jasper could be all James Bond and shit and leave, but something went wrong. We could smell the smoke inside the castle. Heidi ran out, fighting Carlisle and me tooth and nail when we tried to stop her. She's got some wicked nails, lemme tell ya. She came back not half an hour later, crazed, saying that Gianna and Demetri were dead, and that she thought Jasper did it. She said there was a beautiful Mexican woman there with him, hanging all over him, and that they instructed her to tell the Volturi that The Resistance was coming for them."

"Maria." The pieces quickly started falling into place, and the full magnitude of what must have happened weighed on my heart. Maria forced Jasper into a corner. He'd had no choice but to kill Gianna and Demetri, then run Heidi off before she joined them in the flames. It at least partially explained he was so broken when we found him. What it didn't explain was why his eyes were red as rubies.

"Anyway, Carlisle called an emergency meeting and it was decided that the situation was too dangerous for the three of you to continue on your own. There was no way in hell we were missing out on any more of the action. Hell, even Rose and Alice agreed we should be the ones to go. So here we are." Adrian shrugged as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"How's Heidi?" I was almost afraid to ask. It couldn't have been easy for her.

"She's not sure what to think of what she saw. I think her gut tells her not to take what she saw at face value, and she's afraid for him. She knows he wouldn't have killed Gianna and Demetri if he'd had another choice, and they knew what they were signing up for, but still... As for meeting Maria, she grilled Alice for hours trying to find out what their history was. Unfortunately, Alice wasn't able to offer her much that would comfort her or convince her that it was all just for show. Fact is there was a time when Maria had her claws in Jasper pretty deep and even Alice is afraid what will happen if she gets too close again."

"It's different this time. Bella's here." I cringed even as I heard myself say it, and tried to force out the pictures my imagination was creating in my mind as to what was going on in that apartment right then. Deep down, though, I knew in that it didn't matter, not really. I loved them both and nothing was ever going to change that fact. If the only place Jasper could find the comfort he needed to return to us was in Bella's arms, then so be it. I pledged to myself to handle the situation as delicately as possible, with love and understanding. And possibly some boulder smashing when they weren't looking.

"Even that might not be enough to make the difference. Jasper is one of the most badass vamps I have ever met. I never thought I'd see him the way he is now." Adrian was visibly shaken. He loved Jasper like a brother, looked up to him in a lot of ways. To watch Jasper basically have a nervous breakdown upset him greatly.

"Dude, you sure Bella's alright alone with him right now?" Unbidden images of Jasper forcing himself on Bella crossed Emmett's mind. He quickly dismissed them and began blocking me. "Sorry, bro, you don't need to see that shit, my imagination's jacked, but seriously, you think she's safe with him?"

"I really can't see Jasper ever hurting her, even like this. Can you?"

"No, I suppose not," Emmett agreed.

"Besides, Hells Bells can handle herself," Adrian piped in. "And if anyone can snap him out of it, it's her." I nodded, not really knowing what to say. We discussed briefly about how we would account for their sudden arrival, then walked slowly out of the forest as I strove to process it all. I could not see a clear path before us any longer, and it frightened me.

Rafael was waiting for us when we got back to the compound. "Edward," he called as soon as he saw us. "Thank goodness you're back. Vladimir and Stefan want to see you, Jasper and Bella right away." His thoughts didn't show them to be angry in their request, small blessings, I supposed, but revealed that Maria was there with them. I thanked him and introduced him to my brothers. He welcomed them warmly, then offered to give them a tour of the compound while we were in our meeting, which they enthusiastically agreed to. I headed back to the apartment to retrieve Jasper and Bella, having no idea what I'd find once I got there.

It was both better and worse than I expected. I could tell before I opened the door that his mind was still numb, but at peace. I could still hear him repeating her name like a chant, and she was repeatedly whispering back, telling him it would be alright, that she was there, and begging him to come back to her.

When I stepped inside, I saw that they had switched positions so that Bella was lying on her back on the couch, with Jasper curled up on top of her. Her arms were still wrapped around him protectively. The top couple buttons of her blouse were unbuttoned, and he was nuzzling his cheek between her breasts back and forth in a way that kind of reminded me of a cat trying to get comfortable so it could lie down. I half expected him to start purring, if not for the complete lack of sexual thoughts. At least her bra was still in place. The one hand that was visible was under her shirt, lightly holding onto her ribcage. I could only assume the other arm was wrapped around her, probably under her shirt as well, splayed across her back. Bella was running her fingers up and down his spine, and although her voice revealed no sign of it, her face clearly showed how torn she was. Her eyes widened when she saw me, frightened of my reaction.

I shook my head no to her, trying to put her mind at ease. I sat down cross legged on the floor near Jasper's head.

"Jasper? Can you hear me? I know what happened. It's not your fault. You had to do it. You did the right thing."

Jasper started shaking his head, small but jerky movements. "Gianna... Demetri... Heidi... Maria... and they made me drink... I couldn't save them... any of them..." Bella resumed cooing at him and I tried again.

"No one blames you, Jasper. Heidi knows you couldn't help it." Jasper's head stopped moving and he opened his eyes just a sliver, although it didn't seem as though he was focused on any one thing.

"She knows?" he whispered disbelievingly.

"Yes, she does. She's worried about you. She sent Emmett and Adrian here to help you. But right now I need you to snap out of it, Jasper. Can you do that for me? We need to see Vladimir and Stefan. You, me and Bella. Right now. Can you do that?"

"Bella?" He sounded relieved she would be there with him, but then switched a moment later, squeezing his eyes shut and resuming rubbing his cheek on Bella's chest, pressing hard enough that she sunk into the couch a little. "No...must keep Bella safe...must keep everyone safe..."

"Then come with me," Bella said a little louder, scratching her nails on his scalp. "Come with us, and we will all keep each other safe. I promise."

It was a few long moments with no outward movement, but I could tell from his thoughts that he was struggling to pull himself together. Finally, he became aware of his surroundings, slowly lifting his head to look at Bella, as if just waking up. A moment later, he looked down at her cleavage that had served as his pillow moments before, then turned to me, terrified and guilty, and jumped off of her and across the room. Unfortunately, the moment he did, the shaking resumed. Bella stood and took him by the hand and he settled down just a bit.

"Let's get this over with. Bella, get ready to do some serious enchanting." I had absolutely no idea how we were going to pull this off with Jasper in this condition. I was no closer to figuring it out when we walked through the doors of their version of a throne room.

Vladimir and Stefan were by far the creepiest twins I had ever seen. They made Alec and Jane look like the Wrigley Doublemint Gum girls. Greasy hair, sunken cheeks, glowing eyes that were a different shade of red than I'd ever seen, murky almost. And the sick smile on their faces at our appearance made me pause for a moment before recouping and continuing to walk before them, bowing slightly as I had been instructed to by the guard outside.

"We have something..." Stefan began.

"...to show you," Vlad finished.

Maria strode into the room from a side door with a young man behind her, pushing a large television on a cart. Her smile faded for a moment as she looked at us, or more specifically, Jasper, who was still shaking and holding onto Bella's hand for dear life, rubbing his thumb against her knuckles compulsively. If I didn't know any better, I would have sworn she was genuinely concerned for him. It was gone as quickly as it came, however, and she smiled sweetly at us before nodding to the young man, who hit a button on the remote in his hand and the television came to life.

On the screen was an aerial view of Bella dropping her books as Jasper rushed her. A few moments later and we were all watching me tear Francesco into little pieces. I smirked at that in satisfaction. Once we moved off screen, it switched to a different view to show us disposing of his body in the incinerator.

Surveillance video? But how? We had never seen a camera, never heard mention of them. Jasper was working security detail, surely he would have gotten wind of them. But apparently not, and now our fate rested in the hands of three of the most evil vampires ever created.

* * *

_**A/N:**_ I'm so glad to have Emmett and Adrian there, aren't you? Now all we need is Carlisle. The NCB dessert of the day? Naked Emmett Bananas Foster!


	14. Edward Jasper and Bella

_**Disclaimer:**_ You know what's mine and what's not, my wonderful readers, right? Sweet.

_**A/N: **_If you are reading this and going - Wow! Two updates in two day? Great! If not, you probably didn't receive yesterday's update, since FF was being difficult. You might want to back up and read the last chapter before this one. Also, I would not recommend reading this at work or around your kids. Just sayin'. ;)

* * *

_**Edward's POV**_

"I can explain," I began.

"Oh, please do..."

"...we'd be delighted to hear..."

"...what brought this all about."

I waited a moment, hoping to garner something from their thoughts to let me know which answer would be the most advantageous. I was surprised to learn what their impressions were, but decided to run with it. If I was being honest, it was more or less the truth these days anyway.

"You see... my wife, my brother and I share a rather, shall we say, unique relationship. Francesco has been stalking my wife rather inappropriately since we arrived and she had been thwarting his passes, but when he learned that Jasper had access to Bella which he had been denied, he threatened Bella's life, and I simply acted to protect my mate."

Maria started laughing. "Jasper always was a little on the kinky side, even for me." Behind me, I could sense Jasper's shaking getting worse.

_Run...Maria...protect Bella..._

Bella called my name and motioned for me to help with Jasper. Awkwardly, I stepped in to replace Bella, wrapping my arms around him, both to comfort him, and to restrain him if necessary.

"Yes, yes..."

"...we understand..."

Bella stepped forward and I held my breath. A door opened and closed behind us, but I dared not turn around. "Sirs, ma'am," she started, and the amount of time she'd spent with Jasper was obvious by the faint southern accent that showed through in that moment. "I apologize for what happened with Francesco. We are usually much more discreet in our affections. Jasper is...not feeling well at the moment."

"Yes," Maria asked, her voice soft and seductive as she appraised Bella's figure in her mind. Shit. Maria was definitely not a gold card member Bella was counting on. "What exactly is wrong with Jasper? He seemed fine just hours ago."

Bella turned around to look at me for support. Once again, the thoughts of those around us gave me the answers I needed. "As odd as it is going to sound, Jasper seems to have had a reaction to something he ate."

"It is not so odd, in fact. Different blood affects us differently, much the same way different food affects humans differently. The girl he fed from had been here for some time, and had been the subject of a number of experiments. It is entirely possible that something in her system would cause an adverse reaction in him. I apologize, I should have chosen her more carefully. Since she was one of the stronger humans we had in a while, I thought she would be a good choice for a reward. Bella, my dear, you are looking lovelier than ever."

"Thank you, Dr. Lee," Bella smiled demurely.

"You are indeed..."

"...most lovely..."

"...we envy..."

"...your husband and lover."

"Yes, most lovely," Maria purred.

Red flags went off in Dr. Lee's mind as he looked first at the twins, then at Maria, then finally to Bella. _Could it be possible that she's done something to make us feel this way? No, not sweet, pure Bella. Still, it is so odd. I must think on this further._

I needed to get us out of there. Now.

"We like you, Edward..."

"...and your brother. Your viciousness..."

"...is unparalleled. We feel you could be very..."

"...useful to our efforts. We wish to make you..."

"...along with Maria, our commanding officers."

"We would be honored, sirs. If it would please you, I would like to meet with you and discuss strategy after my brother is feeling better. For now, we wish to take him home and care for him while he recovers. Dr. Lee, do you have any idea how long the effects of his recent meal may last?"

Luckily, it successfully distracted him from his thoughts about Bella. "I'm not sure. Could be a day or two, maybe longer. I wouldn't expect it to last longer than a week."

"Good to know. Thank you so much, all of you, for your understanding." I handed Jasper back over to Bella and led them to the door as quickly as I could manage without drawing attention.

"You are quite..."

"...welcome, Commander..."

Emmett and Adrian were waiting for us as we exited the hall. Bella and Jasper led the way, while I hung a little back a little so I could give them the breakdown without upsetting Jasper any further.

After I told them everything that had happened, from returning to the apartment to find Bella and Jasper on the couch to our narrow escape and promotion, Emmett and Adrian were both uncharacteristically quiet. It was unnerving.

Finally, Adrian spoke up. "So the only time Jasper calmed down at all was when Bella was holding him?"

"Yeah, I mean, he seemed alright when I was holding him in the throne room while she was working her magic, but he definitely is better when Bella's holding him. And he seems to need the physical contact. Holding her hand doesn't have the same impact that laying with her on the couch had. I've never seen anything like it. His mind is filled with terrified gibberish, but when he's with Bella, it's absolutely silent."

Adrian thought on it for a long time before finally caving and speaking, figuring I read it all in his head anyway. Which, of course, I had. "The thing is, when Bella was with Jasper, it really seemed like she was meant to be with him. She loved him with all her heart, and he her, and they seemed like they were perfect together. But then when you got your shit together and you and Bella ended up back together, it seemed like she was meant to be with you, and for all the same reasons. She loves you with all her heart, and you her, and it seems as though you are perfect together."

"What are you getting at?"

"I think what he's trying to say is that maybe, just maybe, as weird as it may sound, Bella is perfect for you _both_. And Jasper needs Bella right now. He needs you both, I think, but especially Bella. And we need him, bro. We're not getting out of this alive without him, and Bella can't save the world if she's dead, so I think you're going to have to suck it up and look the other way and let Bella do what she needs to do."

Emmett braced himself for the left hook he was expecting to come his way at the suggestion, but I didn't feel the need. Although I knew I should have been mortified by the idea, I found I wasn't. Emmett was absolutely right. Jasper needed us, and I knew without a doubt if the tides were turned he would do whatever it took to help me. And he would gladly give his life to help Bella. Could I really be so selfish as to refuse to help him when he needed it most? No, I couldn't. Plus, the fact that Jasper wasn't aware of what he was doing freed me in a way of any of the jealousy or anger I normally would have had. I had to give Bella permission to do whatever she felt was right, whatever she felt comfortable doing, to bring Jasper back. She wouldn't do it if she feared my reaction, if it felt like a betrayal.

"Did Rafael show you where our office is?"

"Yeah, he did."

"Alright, here's my key. You guys head over there. I'm going to help Bella get Jasper inside. I'll meet you there in a bit. Just stay there until I come get you."

I caught up to Bella, who had apparently given up on coaxing Jasper to walk and was just carrying him up the stairs. His arms were wrapped around her neck, his forehead pressed against her collarbone. Adrian was right. This was not the badass Jazz we love so much. He was broken, hidden so deep within his mind even I couldn't reach him.

I opened the door to let them in and Bella laid him on the couch. When she tried to stand back up, he clung to her neck and whimpered.

"Lay with him," I whispered. Bella looked at me quizzically for a moment, and presumably seeing no doubt in my expression, did as I suggested. As soon as she lay next to him, he pulled her under him and began nuzzling her collarbone again, his hand creeping up under her shirt. Bella looked uncomfortable, slightly panicked even, but I could smell her arousal. It gave me the courage to continue. I knelt next to the couch on my knees and started running my fingers through her hair, bending over to kiss her temple and whisper in her ear.

"Shhh, Bella...relax. Don't worry about me, I'm fine, love. Really I am. If you want to let him touch you, if you think it will help and you're comfortable with it, then let him. I love you, and I love Jasper. Give him what he needs. I know I won't lose you. Bring him back to us." I kept caressing her scalp and watched as she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and relaxed. I sat on my heels, continued caressing Bella's hair and scalp, and waited. I wasn't sure what was going to happen, or if anything even was, and I wasn't sure if something did happen if Bella would want me to leave. I wasn't sure if I would want to leave. There was just too much to think about, so instead I chose to embrace the unique silence of not being able to hear thoughts from either of them, and just focused on the feel of Bella's hair between my fingers.

I watched with detached fascination as Jasper's hand kneaded Bella's ribs under her shirt. He kept nuzzling her chest, slowly moving his head lower until he managed to unbutton the top two buttons of Bella's blouse with his cheek, pushing the fabric away with his nose so he could rub his face against her breasts again. He sighed contentedly.

And softer, quieter, so did Bella.

I continued caressing Bella's hair, reinforcing my acceptance, and after a while Bella's arms wound around Jasper. One hand running up and down his spine, the other burying her fingers in his hair. Jasper hummed and nuzzled deeper between the swells of her breasts, the tip of his nose pressing just underneath the scallop of her bra.

The lace must have tickled his nose, because he turned and bit the small bit of fabric holding the two sides together, snapping it in two, then reached up and tore the blouse open, sending buttons flying. Bella gasped audibly, but Jasper didn't seem to notice. He simply pushed the two sides of both blouse and bra to out of his way so he could return to nuzzling her mounds without obstacles. This time, however, his hand was kneading her breast instead of her side.

The scent of Bella's arousal got stronger, and I found myself getting hard.

Jasper's lips, quite by accident, it seemed, found Bella's nipple and he enthusiastically took it into his mouth, suckling like a baby, worrying her with his teeth. I watched his jaw move, could see his tongue swirling around her peak, his fingers squeezing and caressing the underside. Bella's back arched to give him better access, which he took full advantage of. They both had their eyes closed, expressions of rapture on their faces. It was quite possibly the most erotic thing I'd ever seen.

My jeans were starting to become uncomfortable and I squirmed a little, and kept caressing Bella's hair while I watched the scene unfold. Jasper had turned his head away to face the back of the couch while he laved kisses on her other breast, and I found myself disappointed that the change in position impeded my view. The hand that had been kneading her breast was tracing random circles on her skin with his fingertips, slowly, agonizingly slowly, moving down her body. Releasing her nipple with a slight pop, his lips began to follow the path his fingertips had blazed.

And still, I petted Bella's hair.

Jasper kissed every inch of flesh he could find until he reached the waistband of her jeans. Once there, the almost overwhelming smell of her arousal caught his attention, and he dove between her legs, burying his face between her thighs and inhaling desperately.

_Bella. _

Jasper began radiating raw need. It swirled around us like a tempest. He bit the button off her jeans and tugged them off her legs along with her panties, leaving them around one ankle as he quickly returned to her apex. He spread her sex with his fingers and caressed her with his tongue from her entrance up to her clit, circling it and making her moan with need before returning back down to do it again.

_Mmmm... Bella... _

I couldn't take it anymore, and reached down with my spare hand to adjust myself, biting my lip to keep from hissing from the contact.

Bella turned her head to lean into my hand, kissing the center of my palm, even as her hips were beginning to undulate under Jasper's expert ministrations. Her hands flew to his hair and started scratching his scalp and pulling handfuls of hair, urging him along.

"Jasper..." she moaned breathlessly when he reached up and slid two fingers inside her core, pumping in and out slowly. I was riveted, I must admit. Bella had to teach me how to pleasure her, a talent I relished perfecting, but now I could watch as the master who had taught her made her writhe beneath him.

My mouth was hanging slightly open, tasting the scent of not only Bella's arousal, but mine and Jasper's as well, as I stared at the glistening moisture covering Jasper's fingers as he worked her to climax, her hips flying off the couch, lifting Jasper with her. He used the opportunity to reach underneath her with both hands, holding her suspended and kneading her cheeks as he continued to lick every drop of her juices he could find. When her quivering stopped, he set her back down, and lunged forward to cover her body with his, passionately kissing her.

As his tongue darted into her mouth, I found myself wishing that I could kiss her when he was done, taste her essence mingled with Jasper's venom in her mouth. I unbuttoned my jeans and pulled the zipper down quietly.

And still I caressed Bella's hair.

"Bella...oh God, Bella...I love you...I need you...Bella, please..." Jasper mumbled between kisses. _It's working_, I thought, and it filled me with joy.

"Jasper...yes..." Bella tore his clothes from his body and he lifted himself only enough to remove the offending fabric. Even though he was most definitely aware of Bella's presence, he still hadn't realized I was there. When he lowered himself back down, skin to skin upon Bella's naked form, I wondered if I shouldn't leave, give them their privacy. _When he came to, he might be embarrassed to find me here. _

I lost all train of thought, however, as I watched Jasper reach between them to line up his considerable length at Bella's entrance, then slowly disappearing within her with a groan. He dropped back down onto her then, his head buried in her neck on the opposite side of me, peppering kisses along the underside of her ear.

"Bella.. darlin'...oh, Bella...so good... Oh, God..."

He began slowly making love to her, sweetly, reverently. I wanted to touch myself but in an odd way it felt as though it would have sullied the moment, tainted its purity somehow, so I refrained. I started to pull away, in fact, but Bella caught my hand in one of her own and placed it back against the side of her head.

I listened with a smile at the return of his internal thoughts, limited though they were to a monologue of what he was feeling. _So soft, so tight...I'd forgotten...Oh, Bella..._

I knew exactly how he felt.

He was still kissing her, caressing her body as he slowly thrust. There was something almost beautiful in the rise and fall of his buttocks as they made love, the way his muscles rippled. Jasper reached up to cup her face in his hands, brushing against my hand before I could pull away. For the first time, he opened his eyes and his mind seemed rooted in reality again.

_Edward? Oh God... Edward..._

"Shhh, Jasper," Bella cooed at him, and he turned back to truly look at her. The love was so clear in their eyes. "It's alright." Jasper looked to me again and he looked confused, though his mind was still mostly blank. Then he did the most remarkable thing. He reached his hand up and threaded his fingers through mine, squeezing my hand and looking at me with the most intense look of gratitude I have ever seen. I smiled at him and nodded. He continued to hold my hand as he turned back to Bella, leaning down to recapture her lips, and resumed the slow pace of their lovemaking. With every upward thrust, he squeezed my hand. Bella reached up and surrounded our hands with one of hers. Jasper's powers kicked in again and I felt powerful waves of love and lust and gratitude and peace sweep over us in rapid succession, surrounding us with an influx of emotions, eventually settling on love.

This time I could not resist; the pressure of my erection and the intensity of the feelings Jasper was emoting were too much to take, and I began stroking myself in time with their thrusts. Bella wrapped her legs around Jasper's thighs, shifting her hips to allow him to pump deeper, and he sped up, pushing them towards a powerful orgasm. I came, almost painfully, right along with them, dropping my head to rest it on Jasper's arm as he collapsed on top of Bella.

No one moved. No one breathed. No one said a word. Jasper hugged Bella to him tightly, his thoughts repeating her name over and over, and for a moment I was afraid he was going to retreat once again into the annals of his mind, but he didn't. I raised my head and watched as he kissed her collarbone lovingly, his eyes slowly focusing to meet mine.

_Thank you._

I squeezed his hand and released it, stepping away to quickly clean myself off before bringing them back a towel. Jasper was nuzzling her neck once more, but I could tell he was on the road to recovery. His thoughts were starting to form complete sentences again, at least. Bella looked up at me and smiled, mouthing 'I love you.' I mouthed back 'I love you too,' kissed her forehead and slipped out the door to go get Emmett and Adrian.

Thankfully, they didn't ask, and I didn't offer. When we got back, Jasper and Bella were dressed and, although he still seemed compelled to hold her hand, he was able to think more or less clearly. He told us the whole story of what had happened, and apologized for losing it.

"There's nothing to apologize for, Jazz. We're just thankful we were able to bring you back."

He smiled at me knowingly and nodded. "Thank you, Edward. I'm grateful beyond words for everything."

"You're welcome." There was nothing else that needed to be said.

"Well, now that that's settled," Emmett said as he clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "What's the plan? When do we get to go kick some ass?"

* * *

_**A/N: **_I can honestly say I had no intention of writing this scene when I sketched out this story, but that's the way it led, so I followed. I know some of you are squeeing for joy, and some of you are ready to hit me over the head with a stick. I want to hear all your thoughts - go ahead, I can take it! And since Emmett's peen thankfully survived the near miss with the flambe torch, I thought we'd try our luck with some Naked Adrian Cherries Jubilee!


	15. Stefan Vladimir and Maria

**Disclaimer: **Ya'll know what's mine and what's not. Thanks for respectin' both. :)

_**A/N:**_ Response to the last chapter was about was I expected - most were jumping for joy, some were a bit cautious or confused, and of course it wouldn't be a Lessons story if someone didn't call Bella a whore LOL. The chick's been with two guys in 22 years, both of whom she loves dearly. And really, would you be able to toss either one of them out of your bed? If she's a whore, I'm really gonna burn in Hell.

For those of you who have heard about my recent health issues and were kind enough to PM or email me, thank you. I love you all. Oh, and I was told to remind you that I'm on facebook (Lillie Spencer) and Twitter (Miss_Lillie). This is unbeta'ed. I figured you wouldn't want to wait. ;)

* * *

_**Jasper's POV**_

_So lie to me and tell me that we're going to be alright  
Lie to me and tell me that we'll make it through the night  
I don't mind if you wait before you tear me apart  
So look me in the eye... and lie, lie, lie  
"Lie" - David Cook_

I could tell you the very moment Edward and Bella saved me from the abyss. I had been lost in darkness, trapped in caverns in my own psyche I had no idea existed until my mind retreated into them. There were moments where a touch, or a smell, or a wave of love or concern would try and coax me out, or where the absence of those things sent me cowering deeper into the caves, screaming for Bella. But it wasn't until I was surrounded by warmth, and light, and love, and Bella that my mind became my own again.

_So soft, so tight...I'd forgotten...Oh, Bella... _

Her arms encircled me, her scent surrounded me, as did her love. I awoke, for lack of a better word, to find myself snugly sheathed in her folds, her taste on my tongue, her breasts pressed against my chest, heaving as I slowly made love to her. I didn't understand it at first; I mistook it for a dream, another diversion my mind created, this one infinitely better than the others.

I bent down to my quivering angel and captured her lips in my own. I angled my hips in an arc, remembering with perfect clarity the angle I needed to stimulate that sweet spot deep inside her, the one that made her scream my name in pleasure.

I slid my hands up, preparing to kiss my angel properly for rescuing me from Hell when my fingers unexpectedly touched something, no... someone. I opened my eyes and looked around, finding the exact person I was terrified to find.

_Edward? Oh God... Edward..._

I was instantly overcome with grief. What had I done? But the look on his face and the emotions he was feeling weren't what I anticipated. He face was calm, serene even, and he was feeling only love and...desire? It was desire! Edward was watching me make love to Bella and he was _aroused_.

I was more confused than ever. Bella turned my attention back to her, whispering reassurances in my ear, loud enough for Edward to hear. She opened her heart to me in a way that had been closed off for over twenty years and I could feel that she still loved me every bit as much as I loved her. And Edward was there, loving both of us and somehow that made it alright.

I was still running on instinct, there were no coherent thoughts, but somehow I still knew the surge of gratitude I attempted to send him in my weakened state did not remotely suffice. So I did the only thing I could. I took his hand, intertwined our fingers and met his gaze, hoping he could see in my eyes everything I was trying to say. Edward squeezed my hand and nodded.

That was all the permission I needed. I went back to my Bella, _our_ Bella. She wrapped her hand around mine and Edward's and they served as my anchor, in both a physical sense and an emotional one. Never had the act of making love been so intense, so filled with emotions. I wanted to pleasure her, I wanted it to last all night. Hell, I wanted it to last forever, but it was just too much. Bella wrapped her legs around my waist, begging me for more and in the background, I could hear Edward touching himself. We all came together in perfect harmony.

As soon as my orgasm subsided, I collapsed, exhausted in a way I don't even remember feeling when I was human. I was boneless, my muscles utterly useless, and I landed on Bella's chest with a thud. I felt Edward's forehead on my arm, our hands still joined, and the haze that had surrounded me from the moment I came out of the emptiness lifted.

It was then the terror hit me. I couldn't bear for it to be over. I couldn't bear to lose her again. I couldn't deal with everything that had happened without her. I clung to Bella as the panic set in, chanting her name like a hymn. I felt their concern and it helped to ground me. I didn't want to scare them. I didn't want to retreat into the darkness again. I didn't want to be alone.

When I'd calmed down, I kissed Bella's collarbone in silent thanks and hesitantly looked at Edward. _Thank you_. I didn't know what else to say. He squeezed my hand then disappeared, and without his presence, I returned to my safe haven in the crook of Bella's neck, lavishing her with tiny kisses, each one an expression of my love and gratitude. I knew all too well that this moment was temporary, fleeting, but I would not waste it in self-pity. I would savor it, cherish it so I could carry it with me without regret.

I was only remotely aware of Edward's presence when he returned with a couple of towels, one dampened with hot water. I felt Bella's jaw move as she mouthed something to him, then Edward bent down to kiss her forehead, his fingers resting on my shoulder as he did. Then he was gone.

Bella's arms encircled me once more and she petted my hair for a few minutes. I got the sense she was savoring this moment too, afraid to do anything that might cause the bubble to burst. I would have stayed there until the very end of time, however near it might be after we failed our mission, if not for the fact that I knew Bella would not break the spell. She was waiting for me to show her I was alright, that she had truly brought me back, so she could go back to Edward.

I put my weight on a shaky elbow and pushed myself up to look in her eyes before giving her a peck on the lips, pleased as punch when she reciprocated. Her fingers continued to twirl in the curls of hair on the back of my neck and when she smiled at me, all was right with the world.

"Are you alright, Jazz?" she whispered.

"Thanks to you. God, Bella, I love you so much."

She didn't even hesitate, though she was torn and wary. "I love you too." I knew then that I had to let her go once more. I couldn't do this to her again, make her feel as though she had to choose. She had chosen already, and no matter how much she loved me, loves me still, it wasn't me she wanted her forever with.

That being said, I wasn't ready to let her go.

"Come, darlin'. We don't know how long they're going to be gone. Will you take a shower with me? I think it will make this evening easier all around if we are cleaned up before they come back." Bella bit her bottom lip, then nodded. I stood, instantly missing her breasts against mine, her legs wrapped protectively around me, but she took my hand and I had my anchor back, and I was okay.

We showered in silence, washing each other's hair, caressing and massaging each other lovingly. I left not one inch of her beautiful body untouched. Every few seconds I would kiss her, mostly chastely, sometimes desperately, and she would return each one with equal enthusiasm. When my thoughts were turn to things they shouldn't and the darkness would threaten to return, Bella was in tune to me, the way she always used to be, and would hold on to me for dear life until I regained control. She was in every sense my Bella again and I dreaded the moment when Edward would return with Emmett and Adrian and I would lose her again. It wasn't until we were drying off that Bella gathered the courage to attempt to prep me for that moment.

"Jazz... I don't want you to..."

I kissed her once, twice, three times, to stop her from talking. "I know. I understand. I told you I love you because it's true. I felt you, I know the same is true for you. I also know it doesn't change anything. It's okay. Tonight, this," I lifted our joined hands up to her eye level, "is enough." Bella smiled, in opposition to the ping of frustration I got from her, and wrapped her free arm around me, bringing herself against me so we were cheek to cheek in a half hug since I refused to let go of her hand, except for the few brief seconds it took for us to dress.

Bella tried to talk to me a couple more times, but I didn't want to talk. I couldn't handle it. Not now. Not yet. Not when I knew she would either break my heart or lie to protect it. So I pulled her tight against me on the couch and cuddled her until I felt them coming. I whispered my love for her in her ear once more and moved to a more socially acceptable distance. I couldn't bear to let go of her hand, though, and prayed that Edward would understand. It seemed minor compared to what they'd already given me. On the other hand, how much could I take before they withdraw from me completely?

When Edward returned with Emmett and Adrian, his eyes went straight to mine and Bella's hands. He looked up and smiled at us lovingly and I sighed in relief. Adrian was blocking me, which was fine. The only surprising emotion I encountered came from Emmett, who felt incredibly _proud_, although I had no idea why.

It was quickly forgotten as we got back to business. I was thankful for Bella's hand in mine, I needed the anchor as I retold the horrors of the previous days, and thankfully it didn't bother or surprise anyone. It was cleansing for me, getting it all out in the open. Now we could strategize and deal with the new threats. We came up with a rough plan. It was foolhardy and filled with holes, far too many variables to have any chance of succeeding, but it was all we had. We had roughly two weeks left until the move to the states. We were out of time.

Bella, Edward and I would continue the lie Edward told, portraying us as a triad. It would give Edward and I the ability to protect her without drawing attention, and would hopefully have the added benefit of warding Maria away from me. Although no one vocalized it, it would also allow Edward and Bella to monitor my mental state and intervene if necessary. I wasn't sure how I felt about it. On one hand, it made the most sense tactically. On the other, I worried about how we would all deal with it emotionally. It was reminiscent of our college days, when Edward and Bella had to pretend to be together while she was with me, and we all know how that turned out.

"This isn't the same," Edward replied to my thoughts. "This isn't you taking her away from me, or me taking her away from you. This is the three of us, loving and protecting one another, with honesty and communication."

"What are we, Tinker Bells?" Adrian piped in, pointing at his and Emmett's chests. "Chopped liver?" Bella was quick on the draw.

"We love you and will protect you too, but this isn't some bad HBO series, Adrian."

"Damn. That coulda been fun. What's the matter Bells, can't handle any more _brotherly love_?" Emmett teased from his seat next to Bella, waggling his eyebrows. That decided it. Emmett was a moron. I couldn't stop the growl in my chest as I bared my teeth at him.

Bella stood up, boxed his ears then grabbed his shirt and tossed his sorry ass onto the floor. Edward laughed hysterically as he stepped over Emmett, who was looking up at Bella utterly shocked, to sit on her other side. Bella took his hand, so she was now holding both our hands, leaned over to kiss Edward's cheek, then mine, before looking down at Emmett.

"Can we get back to business now, Em? You know, the whole saving the world from the Two Horsemen and One Psychobitch of the Apocalypse thing?" She gave Adrian the stink eye, just for good measure, before returning to the matter at hand.

Bella would continue working Maria and the twins, sticking to the original plan of endearing herself to them and then trying to use her influence to try and talk some sense into them, starting with Maria. She was not happy that she had failed to hit her target adoration level with the twins and Maria; she was too stressed at the time to give it the necessary concentration, we assumed. We convinced her we could use it to our advantage. If there were any vampires in this camp that needed the gold card treatment, it was The Big Three. She would also try and be present at any and all meetings she could, enchanting everyone she met.

Edward and I would play the part of enthusiastic commanding officers, if for no other reason than to keep us close to Bella. If we could bend their plans to our advantage, all the better. It may give us some small chance of getting out alive.

Adrian's chemistry background would be put to good use in Dr. Lee's labs, distracting Dr. Lee from Bella and his curiosity about her charms and learning anything he could about their experiments. He wasn't looking forward to it, and while I didn't blame him, I had little patience for whining after everything I had just been through. Apparently, so did Bella.

"Listen, Adrian. One - you volunteered. You came here of your own free will and truth be told, I'd have rathered if you had stayed in Italy protecting Alice and the rest of our family and keeping your ass off the front line."

"I'm a front line kinda guy, Hells Bells." Emmett laughed at the football joke. Bella did not.

"I'm not finished!" Adrian's eyes got wide and for the first time ever, I think he was a little scared of Bella. "Second - yes, it's gonna be horrible and you're going to be disturbed and wish you could throw up, I'm sure, but it's still gonna be better than what I'm going to be going through. I have to sidle up next to Ms. Psychotic in the black leather and stilettos who has suddenly decided she's regretting civil war era women didn't get to have the whole 'drunken sexual experimentation with her sorority sisters' experience. So suck it up, Buttercup, and shut it!"

I'm not sure if it was the experience I'd just had with Bella and Edward, the fact that Maria was infatuated with Bella, or just plain horniness, but the brief image I had in my mind of Bella and Maria, all entwined limbs and lips wearing nothing but sorority sweaters, pig-tails, thongs and stilettos awoke all kinds of urges. I still wasn't strong enough to direct or suppress my emotions well, however, and the whole room was hit with a wave of my arousal. The men in the room chuckled and tried unsuccessfully to hide their own reactions while Bella just rolled her eyes at us.

Emmett, surprisingly, was the one to get us back on track, without one single smart-assed remark. I guess he learned from his mistake. "What about me, Major?"

"Emmett, I want to see if I can get you assigned to security detail, since apparently I've been promoted. We now know there are cameras. We need to know what else we're up against. If the shit hits the fan before we change locations, we need an escape route."

"Should I have brought some spoons?" Emmett made a digging gesture with his hands curled around imaginary spoons and we all laughed. It was the comic relief we needed, and probably the last lighthearted moment we would have for some time. Indeed, it might be our last lighthearted moment ever.

"Jasper, do you really think this will work? So many things have gone wrong already." Bella was biting her lower lip and all of her earlier bravado was gone. She was really scared.

I squeezed her hand and leaned over to kiss her forehead, looked her square in the eye, and lied.

"We'll be fine."

One week later, and I was cautiously optimistic about the progress we had made. Bella had coyly voiced her concerns about their ambitions to the twins, suggesting they search for a diplomatic solution. They listened to her logic, enraptured, and promised to take her suggestions under advisement. It wasn't a stand-down, but it was a start. Their lust and desire for Bella had me concerned, however. It reminded me of Caius.

Bella had even more success with Maria. She was drooling over Bella like a lovesick teenager, yet still lusting after me, and Edward as well. In fact, Maria was very straightforward with her desire to expand our triad into a quad. Bella played into that, suggesting that no future, not even the one Maria was dreaming about, would be possible if we forced a confrontation with the humans and the Volturi and lost. Maria agreed wholeheartedly and, while she still felt the Volturi should not rule over the vampire world, vowed to help Bella convince the twins of the necessity for at least attempting peaceful negotiations before they proceeded with their plan for domination. I would never have anticipated that Maria would come to our side so easily. She had always been very good about compartmentalizing her sexual urges from her emotions, but Bella's gift had truly done a number on her, and I could feel honest-to-goodness love from Maria for the first time in my life, and not just for Bella, but for me as well. I wasn't sure what to make of it.

Edward managed to orchestrate some more red tape into the surrogate recruitment centers, delaying their potential opening by at least a week or two. We were still switching compounds in a week's time, but would have to shift the timeline back for everything else. We still had no idea where in the states the compound was, we were all told it was on a 'need to know' basis, and apparently even their commanding officer's didn't need to know.

Adrian had less success with Dr. Lee. He did get a job in the laboratory, but Dr. Lee dodged him at every turn. More often than not, Adrian would end up being the one backed in a corner, avoiding answering questions about Bella that led him to believe Dr. Lee suspected something and had not given up his search for the truth.

Two days before our departure for the states, Stefan asked to speak with Bella alone. Edward and I insisted on accompanying her, hoping to use our gifts to read him, help protect her, but Stefan denied us and in the end, Bella agreed to meet him on her own. She came back several hours later, bouncing on the balls of her feet, hugging each of us in turn, telling us Stefan was convinced that Bella was right. He told Bella he had tried to talk to Vladimir, but he was not listening to reason. Stefan asked Bella if she would be willing to accompany them on the trip to the states so they could sway Vladimir together and she agreed straight away, much to our horror and dismay.

I had warning bells going off in my head, but Bella couldn't back down now, not without raising questions and potentially exposing us, and Bella seemed so confident in Stefan's sincerity. In the end, we reluctantly decided to let her go. We would follow behind as closely as we could and pray for the best.

As she prepared to board their private jet, she turned and held my face in her hands, bringing her lips to mine in a passionate kiss. I grabbed fistfuls of her shirt at the small of her back when she opened herself to me, her tongue teasing and tantalizing, and I moaned from the pleasure of it before she released me and kissed Edward in much the same manner. I had to remind myself it was for appearances, as Stefan and Vladimir watched our goodbyes from the stairs. They were jealous, which I expected, but there was also a smug sense of satisfaction, of accomplishment there that sent me into a tailspin. I grabbed Bella's hand as she walked away, trying to stop her, but she shook me off lightly, turning with a smile to look at us and wave as she walked towards the plane.

"I love you both. I'll see you soon!"

I tried to argue, but the words didn't come out fast enough and she was gone.

Edward and I reluctantly headed back to the compound, gathered up Maria, Emmett, Adrian, Rafael and the few stragglers left behind before catching our own plane to the states.

"Where's Dr. Lee?" Maria asked as we were taking off, looking around. "He was supposed to fly back with us."

"He said he had something to take care of first and would meet us there," Adrian replied with a shrug.

"When did he disappear?" I asked, already knowing in my gut what the answer would be.

"Shortly before you took Bella to the airport."

Bella was supposed to wait for us at the airport and escort us to the new compound. I knew at that instant she wouldn't be there, and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it. When the plane landed, I practically ripped the doors off the hinges, not even waiting for the plane to come to a complete stop, before I frantically began searching for Bella. There was no sign of her, no hint of her scent anywhere. No hint of any of their scents, actually. They had not landed here.

She was gone.

* * *

_**A/N: **_Someone asked for some Carlisle NCB love, so I'm bringing back one of my favorites from A Lesson in Release - the Naked Carlisle Turtle Sundae!


	16. The Gauntlet

**A/N: **Hope you all had a happy and peaceful holiday, whatever holiday you celebrate, and I wish you all a healthy and joyous New Year! Thanks for sticking with me! I'm estimating two chapters and an epi to go!

* * *

**~Edward~**

Jasper's thoughts had me in a panic the entire flight. I had never felt so helpless in my entire life. If I had thought for even a second that what he was considering was a remote possibility, I never would have agreed to her getting on that plane. The wheels had barely hit the runway when Jasper pulled the door off and jumped out, with me hot on his heels. Not that it did us a damn bit of good. She wasn't here. She had never been here. And now she could be literally anywhere in the world, with two lunatics and a mad scientist, all of whom were madly in love with her.

Emphasis on the word 'mad'.

"What's wrong?" Maria ran up to us, the rest of our party following closely behind. It occurred to me she could have had something to do with it, and I turned, ready to rip her head off, but her thoughts were genuine. She was confused and concerned. Her brow furrowed for a moment as she watched Jasper sniffing the air like a bloodhound before her face lit up in understanding.

"Oh my God. Bella's not here. None of them are! They've kidnapped her! What are we gonna do?"

"Let's start with the pilot. I'm willing to bet he's in on it," Rafael suggested.

"Good idea, except there he goes." Emmett pointed to our plane, which was taking off over our heads, the broken door still dangling precariously. "Too bad vamps don't require cabin pressure."

"Let's get off the tarmac before we draw unnecessary attention to ourselves." Jasper had to help Adrian calm down enough to walk, but his thoughts were more like someone on the verge of a nervous breakdown. We headed into an unoccupied airplane hangar reserved for private jets.

Rafael and Maria stayed with us, while the other compound employees disappeared one by one. A few were determined to find where the compound was, believing there had to be a logical explanation. Others decided that joining the resistance might not have been such a great idea after all, and set goals on returning to their previous lives. Either way, they were of no help to us.

"Where are we, anyway?" Emmett asked. "It's freaking freezing. Alaska, maybe?"

"More than likely."

"Should we head for Denali?"

"No, don't!" Maria yelled, then looked a little sheepish when everyone stopped and turned to her. "They might have done this simply because they wanted Bella for themselves, and this was an easy way to eliminate their competition. Or maybe they know you're really working for the Volturi, in which case Denali is the first place they'd send their goons to search for you. You and your friends would be sitting ducks."

"Wait a minute, what do you mean by 'really working for the Volturi'?" Jasper grabbed her by the elbow and turned her to face him.

"Oh, come on Major, I know they say love is blind, but I'm not stupid. I care about Bella, and I know she did something to make me feel that way, and she did it to stop the Romanians. Honestly, I'm okay with that. I just wish she'd have been upfront about it. She could have convinced me I was following the wrong people without dousing me with whatever funky voodoo her powers are that made me fall in love with her.

But I do love her, and I love you, and, well, I don't love Edward, I just want to fuck his brains out once or twice, but that's neither here nor there. The point is, I want to help. I know you have no reason to trust me, but you _can_ trust me." Jasper's thoughts revealed the complete sincerity in her emotions, and her thoughts supported that. It would seem we had gained an unlikely ally.

"Is all that true? Bella can make people fall in love with her? That's what happened to Francesco, isn't it? And me!" I nodded gravely.

"She didn't mean to. She's been learning to control it. Doesn't always work, clearly." Rafael's anger at being enchanted was understandable, I supposed, but ill timed at best. I couldn't help but growl at him.

"She's been kidnapped by two, possibly three, criminally insane vampires. Putting aside the reasons for your love for Bella, you can't deny that you do, and as such, I would think you'd be more concerned with her disappearance."

"Of course, you're right. I can deal with... this..." Rafael waved his hands in front of him in an all-encompassing gesture, "later. What's the plan?"

"Well, first let's try and narrow down where to look, then we'll have to come up with a game plan on how to search. As much as I'd like to split up and canvas the globe faster, I think it's foolhardy to think they won't be waiting for us when we get there, wherever 'there' is, and going alone is a death sentence. We'll have to stick together."

"I agree with Jasper," Maria said. "In love or not, they're dangerous, and if they know what Bella can do, they will view her as the ultimate weapon of mass destruction. They will put her in a gilded cage and expect her to make armies for them. It would be suicide to try and rescue her alone."

"Maria, you have no idea where they might have gone?"

Maria shook her head. "It would appear that they consider me less critical to their success than I had previously thought. Either that, or they considered me competition for Bella's affections, who knows." Maria shrugged.

"Alright, let's look at this logically. Wait here a sec," Jasper disappeared and returned a minute later with a map of the United States. He quickly spread it out on the table. "I think we should search the U.S. first and here's why. They put a lot of time and money into this chain of surrogate recruitment centers, and they're not going to want to abandon those."

"The fact that Dr. Lee is with them adds credence to that theory," Maria concurred.

"The compound is most probably going to be near one of them. The largest facilities are in New York, Chicago, Cleveland, Salt Lake City, and Los Angeles. I doubt they 're in sunny L.A., so I suggest we try there last. New York, Chicago and Cleveland are bordered by water and densely packed suburbs, so finding a spot of land large enough to suit their purposes without being conspicuous would be difficult. I think we should start in Salt Lake City." Jasper nodded his head sharply, as if in strong agreement with himself.

"Sounds like as good a place to start as any," Emmett said. "Let's get crackin', I got some Romanian butt to kick for taking my little sis."

"We need to make a phone call first. It's not going to be just us from here on out. The gauntlet has been thrown with Bella's kidnapping. The war has begun."

~Dr. Lee~

Stefan and Vladimir were like kids in a candy shop, watching through the window and waiting patiently for our dear Isabella to board the plane. I was much more patient. Soon, she would be ours and ours alone, to both worship and command.

Isabella, with her tantalizing abilities, would be the Queen Bee to our hive, with thousands of drones eager to do her bidding, which would of course be our bidding. They, like we, would love and adore her, not hesitating to change their moral code to follow her. Happily, they would fight for her. Kill for her. Die for her.

She was perfect.

Her smile was radiant as she boarded the plane with one last wave to our former generals. Pity to lose them, and Maria, but they held her favor and we couldn't allow them to be competition for Isabella's attention or affections.

She would be quite busy with us from now on.

Vladimir, Stefan and I had come to an arrangement after I had solved the mystery of her hold on us. We would each have her, share her between us. We would shelter her from the rest of the world, except when she was performing her duties towards the cause. She would have anything her heart desired. By setting aside our jealousies, we could each bask in her love and partake of her sweet body without endangering the future for our people.

It would be difficult, to be sure. Disagreements had already taken place over who would have her first, and when. Naturally, as the one who discovered her talent, I felt it was my just reward to be the first to take her, and I would have done it the moment we were in the air. But Vladimir and Stefan diplomatically reminded me that I worked for them, and would have to wait.

They wanted to take her together, and despite the creepiness of it, it didn't surprise me. Their choice, however, required a little more space than the plane afforded, so the decision was made that while we could, shall we say, introduce the idea to Isabella on the plane, let her warm up to the idea that she had unwittingly traded her two lovers for three vastly superior ones, she would not be consummating her new relationship with us until we were safely ensconced in the new compound.

Isabella's smile faded as she looked around the plane, stumbling a bit as we taxied down the runway.

"What's...I don't...ummm...Stefan?" Clearly, she had fallen for his ruse.

"I'm sorry, my..."

"...dearest one..."

"It pained us to..."

"...deceive you..."

"Come sit down..."

"...and have a rest..."

"...while we explain..."

"...everything."

I did not think, as the twins did, that she would see the wisdom in our actions as they explained everything, and once again, I was right. Horror crossed over her features and she threw herself at the window. I was barely able to catch her around the waist and subdue her on the floor before she flew through the glass.

She thrashed deliciously beneath me as I straddled her, pinning her down. I couldn't resist thrusting against her once, desperate for the smallest amount of friction. I bent down to kiss her and she turned her head to the side, spewing profanities at me. Sexy little spitfire. I tilted my head sideways and gently sucked her bottom lip between my own, closing my eyes as I savored the sensation. Vlad and Stefan each took me by an arm and pulled me off of her with a warning look.

"Relax, Isabella..."

"We love you..."

"...and will allow no harm..."

"...to come to you..."

"...but please..."

"...do not try to escape..."

"...or resist us..."

Isabella sat up but stayed on the floor, bringing her knees to her chest and wrapping an arm around her legs. She began rocking back and forth, mumbling, "I can't believe this."

"Why not, dearest one?" I asked her, genuinely curious at her surprise. "This is what you wanted, isn't it? Us to love you? It is why you enchanted us so. Do not be shocked that you got what you asked for. We are in love with you, but now we need you to give us what we ask for in return. You must help us begin a new era for vampirekind, and then you will help us rule the world. The four of us will be together, forever, in every way possible."

Isabella's eyes got wide as understanding sunk in.

The rest of the flight was remarkably silent. Bella eventually saw it fit to sit in a chair instead of on the floor, but she refused to make eye contact with any of us. While I expected some resistance, her withdrawal concerned me. What would she think when we killed her former comrades, those miserable wretches in the Volturi? The final showdown was about to begin and carnage is an unavoidable circumstance of war.

We reached the compound without further incident, but unfortunately for me, Vlad and Stefan decided to give her some time to herself to get settled in and adjusted. They didn't want to force her into being intimate with them before she was ready. Unfortunately, that meant I would have to wait as well. I hated waiting. So far, it had been two weeks, and my patience was growing thin.

Isabella was under constant guard, for her own protection, and refused to leave her suite, not even to feed. I had even attempted to deliver a meal to her rooms, but she turned her nose up at the young woman without a second glance. Shame. I would have loved to watch her sink her teeth into that sweet morsel's neck.

It wasn't as if there was no progress at all. Vladimir and Stefan had somehow convinced her to enchant most of our army. I am not sure how they accomplished it. She even gave a pep talk to the troops, and although she did not come across as particularly enthusiastic, none of her lemmings seemed to notice the difference.

For my part, I chose to occupy my time putting the finishing touches on the new laboratory facility. I also took over Edward's duties completing the recruitment centers, whose websites were already receiving a remarkable number of hits. Finding suitable test subjects was not going to be an issue. I couldn't wait to resume my experiments full force.

I was standing just outside the compound gates, enjoying the Midwestern vista and daydreaming about making love to Isabella out on the plains, when I saw them. Vampires, thousands of them, marching over the horizon.

Volturi.

With Edward and Jasper at the helm.

I rushed inside and let the twins know the gauntlet has been thrown and the field has been chosen. Calmly, they sounded the alarm and paged for Isabella to be brought to them. She needed to see, to understand. And then, she needed to watch them die.


	17. The Battle

_**Disclaimer: **_Some's mine, some's not. You know the difference. :)

_**Author's Note:**_ Only one more, plus possibly an epi to go! For those of you interested in such things, I was listening to 30 Seconds to Mars "This Is War" on repeat while I was writing this.

* * *

_**~Jasper~**_

I felt Dr. Lee's panic from a mile away, and it was delicious.

_He should be panicked. He is about to die, and if I'm the one to reach him first, it'll be slow and painful._ Edward chuckled at my thoughts from his place at my right side, Maria on my left. The Volturi army was right behind us. I tried to keep Heidi and the Cullens to the back under the pretense of bringing up the rear, but when they started to protest, Maria called them outright idiots and told them to shut up, that I was trying to keep them safe. Kind of reminded me of the parts of Maria I used to love, minus the insanity and the endless thirst for power. This post-Bella-fied Maria was like all of the good with none of the bad. I kind of liked her. Not that I ever planned on hopping into her bed again; I wasn't forgetting the breakdown she caused me any time soon, but still, I was glad to have her on our side for this battle, and afterwards, if we both lived, I would wish her well.

I returned my attention to the battle ahead. This would not be a sneak attack. They would be waiting for us, which was fine with me.

As we approached, I saw a raised, covered platform, similar to those erected in medieval days for the King and Queen to watch battles or tournaments from. This one held Stefan and Vladimir. They were watching a single form on a hill to the back of their troops. Bella, with Dr. Lee at her side. We stopped for a moment as we got into earshot, only to hear Bella addressing the throngs of warriors around her. She was reminding them of their loyalty to her and their oath to follow her to even the depths of hell. They cheered and screamed and their love and loyalty to her hit me like a sonic boom. Vlad and Stefan smiled smugly. She had enchanted them all, and called them to arms against us.

"That two faced bitch! How could she?" A woman behind us screamed, and Edward glared at her.

_Don't speak, Edward. If we can hear them, they can hear us. Ignore her. She doesn't know Bella like we do. Trust in our Bella. She has a plan, I just know it. _

Edward growled, then huffed and nodded before turning his attention to our army.

"We fight against tyranny today, not only to protect our way of life, to protect mankind and vampirekind alike. We fight to save the world as we know it! Stand with me!"

Cheers and affirming growls echoed around us.

I took one last, deep breath and sounded the battle cry. "Charge!" at the same time as their general shouted "For Bella!"

We ran at full speed, Edward jutting out ahead until I called to him to stay with the group, not allow himself to be singled out and surrounded. He slowed down just a bit so that when we reached the front line, we were again side by side.

I targeted vampires left and right with douses of lethargy and exhaustion, slicing through them like butter. Alec had nothing on me. Edward would use their thoughts against them by taunting them, usually with talk about Bella being his, angering them to make them lose focus before ripping off their head and moving on to the next.

The battle had barely begun when I heard a high pitched scream from a voice I knew. I looked up just in time to see Bella kick Dr. Lee in the balls, dropping him to his knees, then bringing her knee up under his chin with such force, his head flew back and popped clean off.

With renewed purpose, I went back to the battle, determined to get to Bella. Edward and I watched each other's backs as we edged forward through the masses.

We were almost there when we heard her scream. Vladimir had left the platform and reached Bella before us. Her arm was twisted around her back, and although the men on both sides wanted to help, none of them moved for fear of provoking him. Bella! My heart screamed for her, and with every ounce of my being I wanted to shred Vladimir to bits. I saw Edward slinking around through the crowd, no doubt planning to attack him from behind. I began to plan my attack to coordinate when I heard yet another familiar scream, and my stomach fell to my feet.

Heidi.

I scanned the crowd and found her, being double teamed by two massive vampires. One had a hold of her from behind, pinning her arms to her torso and rendering her helpless, while the other was repeatedly sucker punching her. They could have killed her instantly, but they were playing with her. She turned her head and made eye contact with me, and all I could see was resignation and sorrow. No. She couldn't give up. I couldn't lose her.

I looked back at Bella. Vlad had his hand around her neck, and his hatred was the intense kind of hate that could only come from scorned love. Edward was almost there, but could he do it alone? Could he save her? If I helped him, I could ensure Bella's safety, but Heidi would surely die. If I helped Heidi, I would have to trust Edward to protect Bella.

Bella.

Heidi.

Bella.

.

Heidi.

I prayed for Bella's safety as I turned and ran to Heidi, lunging at the man who dared put his arms around her. I ripped his head off as I flew past him, landing on my feet. With my fingers still gripping his long hair, I flung his head at the other vampire like a mace, hitting him in the stomach with such force that he landed on his back. Heidi quickly finished him off, then ran to me, wrapping her arms around my neck and hugging me tight.

I kissed her once, hard, and was about to turn back to check on Bella when I saw her hop on the now empty platform.

"My soldiers! Listen to me! You have pledged your fealty to me, even in death, and I ask you now - stand down! Vladimir and Stefan were not leading us to victory, they were leading us to Armageddon. Stand down and let me show you a better way!"

A few straggling fist fights continued and were broken up, but for the most part the battle ended abruptly with Bella's short speech. Carlisle, Marcus, Aro and Edward joined her on the stage, and she stepped aside and into Edward's arms while Carlisle picked up where she left off. He explained the truth of the situation to them eloquently and succinctly, then Aro and Marcus answered questions from those doubters who still believed the propaganda they had been fed by the Romanians. I think a few times Bella boosted someone up a notch or two to get them to comply, until Carlisle gave her the 'disapproving dad' look, causing her to giggle and shrug her shoulders.

It was almost anticlimactic, the way the crowd dispersed and the field emptied faster than Times Square at five minutes after midnight. Emmett and Adrian compensated by magically producing an enormous amount of dynamite and theatrically blowing up the compound, which Rafael found incredibly amusing.

Heidi ran to Bella, hugging her. "I'm so glad you're alright!"

Bella laughed and hugged her back. "You too! I saw from the platform you had a close call as well. It's a good thing Jasper got to you in time." Heidi's eyes gleamed as she smiled at me adoringly.

"Yes, it is. I can't believe..." Her voice drifted off into nothing. "I saw you as well, when Vlad had you. You had to have been terrified."

"No, not really. I knew Edward would save me." Edward beamed with pride and hugged her tighter.

"Always, love."

My guilt was tearing me apart. I couldn't regret saving Heidi, and deep in my heart I knew Edward would save Bella, and it was truly his place to do so, not mine, but I couldn't help but feel I had abandoned Bella in her time of greatest need, and that thought was quickly eating me alive.

Edward must have heard my thoughts, because he kissed Bella on the top of her head and released her. "Come on, Heidi, let's go make sure The Three Amigos are done blowing shit up. We didn't go to all this trouble to keep vampires a secret just to have the FBI descend on us now thanks to Huey, Dewey, and Louie." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and led her off, looking behind them once to wink at me as I watched them leave.

I took Bella into my arms, breathing her in, so thankful she was alive. "Oh Bella, I'm so sorry. If something had happened to you, I never would have been able to live with myself."

Bella leaned back and looked up at me. "Why? It wouldn't have been your fault."

"But it would have. There were two men attacking Heidi at the same moment Vladimir was attacking you, and I... I... I chose to save Heidi."

Bella took one step back and the pain in my chest worsened until she took my hands in her own and insisted I look at her.

"Did you know Edward was near?"

"Yes."

"Were you confident he could save me?"

"Well, yes, fairly, but there was always a chance..."

Bella shook her head. "Stop right there. You made the right choice and you know it. Heidi didn't have the slightest hope of surviving without you, whereas while your help might have ensured Edward's success in saving me, he obviously didn't need the help. Besides, all he really did was distract Vlad and give me an opening, anyway. I'm the one who killed him, Stefan too. I can take care of myself, you know." Bella smirked at me, a crooked grin she had obviously inherited from Edward. "Everything happens for a reason. Instead of feeling all guilty for choosing Heidi over me, why don't you spend a little time analyzing exactly why you made that choice. The answer might surprise you." Bella gave me a kiss on the cheek and wandered off.

I chose to be the one to stay behind and dispose of the dead and destroy the remaining evidence. We couldn't take a chance that a computer's hard drive would survive the explosion, and I found myself needing some time alone.

Amongst the dead on the field, I found Maria. I fell to my knees beside her and found myself strangely sad at her demise. I wished I would have had a chance to talk to her, to see if Bella's touch had truly reformed her in a lasting way or not. I would never know. I did know that she had loved me and Bella, and in the end she gave her life to protect us, and that counted for a lot in my book. I kissed her forehead and smoothed her hair before picking her up and gently laying her down with the others in the platform before setting it aflame.

When all was done, I left to follow everyone back to Volterra, where the real work of undoing the Romanian's evil would begin. On the flight, my thoughts drifted constantly between Bella and Heidi. I had never denied I loved them both, but I had always told myself when it came down to it, it was Bella. Always Bella. How could it not be, with the hold she had on me? So why did I chose Heidi? Bella said the answer might surprise me, but I had no easy response to that question, and I was driving myself mad trying to figure it out.

I trusted Edward to do his best to save her, and I knew that her odds of survival vastly outweighed Heidi's. Was it simply a matter of military strategy kicking in, running the numbers and hoping like hell they would work in our favor? Although the logic of that theory was sound, and made perfect sense, it didn't ring true to me.

Apparently, it didn't ring true to Heidi, either, who accosted me and dragged me to her rooms the minute I entered the castle walls.

"You saved me!" She whisper-yelled between kisses. "You chose me! Me! You could have saved her, and I really thought you were going to, it didn't even cross my mind you would choose me, but you did! You _do_ love me!"

"Of course I love you, you stubborn, beautiful woman. I've been telling you that for 20 years."

"Yes, but you've always chosen her until now. But this time you didn't. This time you chose me; I can't tell you how good that feels! I'm glad she survived too, don't get me wrong, I talked to her about this already, she understands. You understand, don't you?"

"I understand how you feel, yes. But I'm afraid I'm going to break your bubble. It wasn't a choice, per say. It wasn't a conscious decision. I didn't say to myself, 'I love Heidi more, so I'm going to save her and the hell with Bella.' "

Heidi sighed and led us to her couch. "I know you didn't. But don't you see, your mind might not have come to that conclusion, but your heart did. Minus the 'the hell with Bella' part, I'm sure, 'cause that would just be wrong."

"Maybe you're right," I hedged.

"I think... I think maybe we can be together now, the way you've wanted. If you'll still have me, that is." She snuggled close to me and wrapped her arms around my waist, nuzzling into the crook of my neck. Her elbow brushed against me in just the right place and I pictured making love to Heidi, sliding myself inside of her...

And then I remembered how I had made love to Bella not so long ago, and all dreams of a future with Heidi dissolved into nothingness. I had to tell her the truth, and she would never forgive me.

"Heidi, I have to tell you something. While we were on our mission..."

"You had a nervous breakdown and went into this strange vampire coma and Bella snapped you out of it by sleeping with you while Edward watched. I know. They already told me." Her casual tone of voice made no sense to me.

"They what?"

"They figured you had a better chance of surviving if they explained to me what happened before you did. Something about you blaming yourself for shit that wasn't your fault and allowing me to take your balls off for it." Heidi shrugged. "She saved you, and I love her all the more for it. And despite that fact, and the fact that she has her own personal throne in your heart, when push came to shove, you _still_ saved me. I can't help but feel pretty damn good about that." Heidi smiled at me before crawling on my lap.

My hands gripped her hips of their own accord and I gave myself over to her euphoria. "How good, exactly?"

Heidi bent down and licked the shell of my ear. "Let me show you."

* * *

My wonderful beta, changedbyEdward, who pwns me, has convinced me to write a drabble about Edward in the shower fantasizing about Bella shredding the twins, since we didn't get to see it from Jasper's POV. If you're interested in reading it, let me know in your review and I'll send it to you. ;)


	18. The Final Lesson

_**~Jasper~**_

The next few months were hectic, to say the least. Edward and Rafael went about the arduous task of eliminating the surrogate recruitment centers, turning most of the real estate over to charity and founding several women's shelters. I was in charge of following the money trails, ensuring that no stone was left unturned and all evidence of their existence and Dr. Lee's experiments were systematically destroyed.

Emmett, Felix and Rafael had been assigned to Bella's personal guard, which she needed more than ever, as surviving resistance members were showing up on an almost daily basis to declare their love and devotion and throw themselves at her feet. For the most part, she gracefully declined their advances, then Emmett and the guys would interrogate them, ensuring that they were not dangerous and had no aspirations of picking up where the Romanians left off. Occasionally, they would get a bad feeling and Edward and I would be brought in to assess the situation, and one or two unfortunately had to be eliminated, but it was rare. Aro, Marcus, and Carlisle made themselves available to anyone who questioned how the Volturi really worked, which helped open a lot of eyes to the lies behind the Romanian's propaganda machine.

For the most part, however, Edward and I were banned from the throne room when she was receiving visitors each day, and I couldn't understand why. Edward seemed to know more than I did, but he wasn't divulging any information.

Heidi and I were together again. It wasn't perfect; I still found myself thinking about Bella far too often, but Heidi seemed much more patient with me now. She knew how hard I was trying, but seeing Bella each day, I couldn't help but feel the urge to go to her, wrap my arms around her. God, how I loved Heidi, but she was right. Bella had a personal throne in my heart and that's where she was going to stay.

"I did it! I did it!" Bella came running into the annex where Edward and I were updating Carlisle, Aro and Marcus on our progress. She ran over, grabbing Marcus by both his hands and dragging him up out of his seat, which fell backwards behind him from the force of her. "Come see...double check... I really think I did it!" Marcus smiled at her like a proud papa that understood exactly what her ramblings were supposed to mean. Edward and Carlisle were throwing off a shitload of pride too. I seemed to be the only one in the dark as we all shuffled behind her and Marcus into the throne room.

An older vamp, physically about Carlisle's age, was sitting at a table, Emmett and Felix silently on either side of him, smiling. No one was talking, but I didn't need my powers to know he was feeling extremely confused and a little disoriented. What the hell was going on?

"Are you sure?" Marcus asked, and Bella's head bobbed up and down frantically.

"Yes, he was most definitely, um... amorous... when he first came in here. Brought a ring and everything," Felix replied. Emmett chuckled under his breath, and a quick glance to the man's hands revealed he was indeed holding an engagement ring that he was staring at intensely, as if it were some new species of animal that had never been seen before.

"Hmmm..." Marcus pondered for a moment. "Well, this is intriguing. The bond is still there, no doubt, but it is quite weak, and most definitely more in the platonic range."

"Does this mean...?" I asked, almost afraid to say it.

"She dialed the dude DOWN, man. It was awesome. There were a couple other guys I thought it was starting to work on, but they fought back, almost as if they didn't _want_ dialed down. But this guy, it worked almost right away," Emmett explained, as if that cleared everything up.

"This is the reason Bella agreed to this whole 'holding court' thing. She has been attempting to control her powers, dial them back down as Emmett put it, and has been attempting it with each 'gold card member' she has seen since your return." I smiled gratefully at Carlisle for filling in the blanks. "She didn't want you or Edward there to distract her, and we convinced her to keep it a secret until we saw if it worked. It was a long shot."

"Still is," Edward interjected. "Could be an isolated incident." Aro nodded in agreement. Bella seemed to lose a little wind out of her sails at that, which Felix would not let happen.

"Try me, sweetness." Bella turned to him quizzically. He had never once complained about his feelings for her, and Kelly had the least issues with it of any of the women. "My dearest Bella, I adore you, and I am certain I always will. You will always be sweet, and beautiful, and magnanimous in my eyes. But I love Kelly, and she deserves to have all of me, which I can never give her as long as I love you. Please, sweetness. Try me."

Bella put her hand on his cheek and smiled, nodding before she fixed her eyes on his. She was in deep concentration, staring in his eyes as if searching through his soul. They stayed that way for what seemed like forever.

And then I felt it.

And so did Marcus.

And so did Felix.

He wrapped his arms around her, spinning her in circles with her feet flying out behind her. "You did it! You did it! Oh, Bella, I love you! You did it!" Felix kissed all around her face.

"Wait a minute," Adrian said. "If it worked, why are you telling her you love her? Why are you getting her face all wet?"

"I'm kissing her in thanks, you dolt. And it did work. And I love her even more for it, if that makes any sense. Maybe it doesn't, but that's the way I feel. I still care for her, I still can honestly say I love her. But the constant undercurrent urge to run away with her, make love to her in the olive groves, is gone. Well, I still wouldn't kick you out of my bed, sweetness. If you ever want to join Kelly and I for the evening, I certainly wouldn't object..." Bella rolled her eyes. "But I'm free. Thank you, Bella." Felix excused himself to tell Kelly the good news.

Rafael was quick to step up to the plate next and it worked, faster than it had with Felix. Now that she had unlocked the secret, she was quickly getting the hang of it, it seemed.

"Don't even think about using that backwards shit on me, Tinker Bells. I've no interest in getting dialed down." Adrian said firmly. "You're my sister, and my best friend, and I love you with all my heart. I would die for you, and that's the way it's staying."

"Same here," Emmett agreed. "Not an option." Aro, Carlisle, and Marcus were all nodding their heads in agreement.

Bella hugged them each, then turned to me, biting her lip with a question in her eye. Did I want her to try it on me? Did I want to lose this connection with her that I'd carried with me for a quarter of a century, treasured like the greatest gift I had ever been given, even when it felt like a curse?

Not knowing what to say to her, I panicked and ran.

I ran to the woods and hunted, then sat down and leaned against a tree. I stayed there for three days. I relived every moment I'd ever shared with Bella, from the very first time I snuck into Edward's room and taught her how to touch herself, the amazing night we shared together at Charlie's when we were trying so hard to play by Alice's rules and say goodbye when all we wanted to do was love one another. I thought about the day we had a picnic with Alice and Adrian at the baseball field, and Bella saw my scars for the first time. The motorcycle rides, the nights we spent making love at our house at Ohio State. She brought out the best in me, and I in her, and we were so good together. I ached for those days, every day I miss them and wish for them back.

Then I thought about the night Edward gave her the NDNF necklace, and how hurt I was that she accepted it. Or the night we argued about her going to 'Hotel Edward'. I should have known then, as much as she loved me, he was never truly gone from her heart. Like Heidi and I. As much as I loved Heidi, Bella was never truly gone.

_It's not the same_. It's her power, bonding me to her. Marcus said that I would have loved her anyway, that what we shared was real, but we couldn't deny the effect of her abilities.

I tried so hard to hold onto her, but despite my love for her and hers for me, I lost her anyway. Heidi picked up the shattered pieces of my heart, showed me peace and happiness. She deserves the world, she deserves to be adored and worshipped for eternity. I love her desperately. I thought about the Halloween party, where she held my hand and let me cry. I thought about teaching her to hunt animals, running and laughing and feeling so carefree. Then I thought of all the times I hurt her because I couldn't stop myself from checking my email to see if Bella had written me back. I knew in that moment what I needed to do to ensure I never saw that look of hurt in Heidi's eyes again.

I had to see Bella.

I found her in the palace gardens walking with Esme, who kissed us both on the forehead and quietly excused herself to give us some privacy.

I took Bella by the hand, and wished I could cry at how good it still felt in my own, and led her to a stone bench to sit down.

"Bella. Help me, please. I am so conflicted. I love you so much..."

Bella leaned forward and kissed my cheek. "I love you too, Jazz. More than words can say. More than I should. But Edward is my mate, and not just in the vampiric sense of the word. I love him, Jazz. So much. He is my soul mate, he is the one I am meant to be with."

"I know..." I choked, my eyes dropping to a pebble on the ground at our feet. Bella lifted my eyes to meet hers.

"And Heidi is yours, Jasper. What we had, have, is special and precious and I thank my lucky stars every day for you. I am grateful for every moment we have shared together and treasure every memory, even the most recent one," she whispered in embarrassment.

"Why are you embarrassed by that? Bella, it was... amazing. Spiritual, even."

"I know, it's just that you weren't exactly yourself. I felt a little like I was taking advantage of you, enjoying what you were doing to me when you were essentially out of your mind."

I rolled my eyes in incredulity. "Bella, you saved me. Making love to you _saved_ me. I might have been out of my mind, but my body knew exactly what it was doing."

"It always did," she whispered, and I laughed. This was us. This was Jasper and Bella. But she needed to go back to her husband, and I needed to be able to give myself to Heidi.

"Please, Bella..." I wanted to tell her I can never have a normal life while I am tethered to her, that I wanted her to free me so I can love Heidi the way without doubt or reservation, but I couldn't bring myself to speak the words. All I could say was "Please."

Bella took my hands, laid her forehead on mine, and breathed "I love you, Jazz," before focusing her stare on me.

I felt... nothing.

No life altering difference, no change, no dial down. Nothing.

I still loved her so much it hurt.

I told her it didn't work. Confused, she furrowed her brow and tried again, harder.

Still nothing.

Frustrated, she huffed and took my hand, leading me inside to Marcus' quarters. "Why isn't it working?" she asked, exasperated.

Marcus looked back and forth between us for a moment, then turned to me, confused. "You feel no different? The pull is not gone?"

"No. I feel exactly the same."

"Well, that's fascinating, truly. But not really surprising when I think about it. It _did_ work, Jasper. I told you many years ago that although her powers had affected you, the base of the love you two shared was natural, real and true. It would seem her abilities had even less of an impact than I thought."

"But... it's been 20 years... and I've never been able to let her go. I've always felt that pull to her. I've never stopped being in love with her. It's got to be her powers!"

"Hmmm... either that, or her ability was a convenient reason for you to rationalize not moving on. You didn't have to let her go. Everyone understood it wasn't your fault." When it was clear Marcus had nothing further to say on the matter, we excused ourselves, and I walked like a zombie with her to the nearest space we could have some privacy, which so happened to be the library.

"Jasper? Are you alright?" Bella was a little frantic, probably worried I might relapse again, so I forced a smile at her and pulled her onto the couch next to me. I clutched her to me desperately, as desperately as when I'd first awakened from my 'coma'. I couldn't explain it, but I needed her close to me more than ever in that moment.

"What does this mean?" I asked her.

Bella was silent and contemplative for a moment, with her head on my shoulder while I squeezed her to me.

"It means," she said after a long time, "that the only thing holding you back, the only thing that has ever been holding you back... is you."

I breathed her in deeply, then started to sing to her the way I used to.

_You're the pills that take away my pain  
You're the light that helps me find my way  
You're the words when I have nothing to say  
And in this world where nothing else is true  
Here I am, still tangled up in you  
I'm still tangled up in you_

My singing dissolved into humming, which gave way to silence. I closed my eyes and saw Heidi looking back lovingly at me, and I smiled. I was finally free, not because Bella had let me go, but because _**I**_ had finally let go. I didn't need to be here anymore. I needed to be with my girl. I stood to leave, but not before bending and kissing Bella on the forehead.

"Goodbye, darlin'."

* * *

**_A/N: _**Well, there you have it. The last official chapter of the Lessons saga, two years and two days exactly from when I first posted the first chapter of ALIR. I had originally planned on writing an epilogue of Jasper and Heidi's wedding, but now that I'm here, part of me feels like this is where it should end. You tell me when you review. I want to thank my dear friend and beta changedbyEdward for everything, and I do mean everything. More than Romeo, bb! I also want to thank each and every one of you for every review, PM, tweet, Facebook note, kind thought, etc, you have ever sent me. I cherish you all. The song Jasper is singing is 'Tangled Up in You' by Staind.

I will be reposting Edward's Release by popular demand sometime in the near future.

Tricie and Jaspersmax, you reviewed anonymously, so I had nowhere to send the outtake. Let me know where to send it and it's all yours. :)


End file.
